EAS BUSINESS… Properties, Astronomers Must Contend with Our Position Within the Galaxy, Which Requires Disentangling the Various Constituent Parts

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1 Volume MMXI No. 4

April 2011

President: Mark Folkerts (425) 486-9733 folkerts at seanet dot com The Stargazer Programs: Ron Mosher mosheriffic69 at comcast dot net P.O. Box 12746 Librarian: Chris Dennis chrisandlinda at frontier dot net Everett, WA 98206 Treasurer: Jerry Galt jerryg at genwest dot com ‘Planetarium’ column John Goerger wolfstar1701 at comcast dot net Web assistance: Cody Gibson cgibson41 at austin dot rr dot com Vice President: (change ‘at’ to @, dot to. to send email) Intro Astro Classes Jack Barnes jackdanielb at comcast dot net See EAS website at: Public Outreach coord. Mike Tucker scalped_raven at yahoo dot com http://everettastro.org Way, is a large spiral galaxy, and to study our own stellar halo's global EAS BUSINESS… properties, astronomers must contend with our position within the galaxy, which requires disentangling the various constituent parts

(thin/thick disk, bulge). Conveniently, M31 is far enough away to give PREVIOUS (MARCH) EAS MEETING an overall view, while close enough to take spectra of individual stars. Its disk is highly inclined, enabling observation of the inner parts of the The presenter for the March was Dave Ingram - BEAS, Dark Skies galaxy. Astronomers are interested in the fact that until relatively Northwest, and International Dark Sky Association, who discussed recently, the stellar halos of M31 and the Milky Way were thought to be ‘Artificial Nighttime Light Pollution: The Adverse Consequences and very different. M31’s stellar halo was found to be more metal-rich than Means of Mitigation’. - As the Pacific NW’s population grows, so too the Milky Way's halo, and its density was thought to fall off much more does the problem of artificial nighttime light pollution in and around our steeply. In fact, M31’s "stellar halo" looked much more like an extension cities. Though photographers, stargazers, and astronomers are familiar of its bulge than a distinct spheroidal component, as we see in the Milky with light pollution's detrimental effect on the night sky, overall public Way. awareness of those negative effects has yet to rise to the level that it Meeting is at the Evergreen branch of the Everett Public Library has with air, soil or water pollution. Included info based on solid, located at 9512 Evergreen Way. - Website · Directions Attending extensive research by the IDA and by commercial, civic, industrial, members will be eligible for a monthly door prize (book). government and foreign sources that focus on light pollution from artificial outdoor lighting. NEW MEMBER / BEGINNERS CLASS WITH JACK BARNES TH NEXT MEETING – SATURDAY APRIL 16 - 3:00 PM – Classes are set for the 4th Tuesday of each month. EVERGREEN BRANCH LIBRARY Email - jackdanielb at comcast dot net

Presenter for the April 16th EAS meeting will be Dr. Karrie Gilbert  STAR PARTY INFO  from UW, “Stars / objects in the stellar halo of galaxies”. She will ASTRONOMY DAY STAR PARTY – FRI/SAT MAY 6/7 discuss her investigation of the structure, motion, and composition of HARBORVIEW PARK – 7:30-11:30 PM, WEATHER PERMITTING the M31 (Andromeda) Galaxy's newly discovered extended stellar halo, exploring the halo of the out to very large distances. HST can resolve  Scheduled EAS Star Parties at Ron Tam’s:  the light of a galaxy like M31 into its constituent stars, and allows the “Listed below are proposed dates for planned EAS star parties at my structure and formation history of the galaxy to be studied in great *Ron Tam’s+ place, depending upon the weather, of course. “ detail. Current theories of galaxy formation indicate that larger Fri Apr 29 galaxies are built up through the merging of smaller systems over the Fri Jun 3 lifetime of the universe. Since stellar halos are sparse places, they Fri Jul 1 maintain the imprints of galaxy collisions (in the form of tidal streams) Fri Jul 29 for billions of years after a collision, and this makes them ideal starting points for studying the applicability of current models of galaxy Fri Aug 26 formation to the actual physical universe. M31, like our own Milky Sat Sep 24 2 Sat Oct 29 July Star Parties Sat Nov 5. Jul 1-3 - RCA Maupin Dark Sky Star Party, Maupin, OR - EAS member Ron Tam has offered a flexible opportunity to EAS http://www.rca-omsi.org/sp/maupin.htm members to come to his home north of Snohomish for observing on Jul 22-23 - MVAS City of Rocks Star Party - Almo ID - clear weekend evenings and for EAS star parties. Anyone wishing to do http://mvastro.org so needs to contact him in advance and confirm available dates, and let Jul 28-30 - Table Mt. Star Party (TMSP), Table Mt, Lion Rock, him know if plans change. “Our place is open for star parties any Ellensburg WA http://www.tmspa.com/ Saturday except weekends of the Full Moon. People can call to get Jul 28-30 - Annual Weekend Under the Stars - Foxpark, WY - weather conditions or to confirm that there is a star party. Our phone http://home.bresnan.net/~curranm/wuts.html number is (360) 568-5152. They can e-mail me too (tam1951 at Jul 29-31 - Trout Lake Star Party Weekend, Trout Lake WA frontier dot net) but I don't check my email daily. They can email me http://www.rca-omsi.org/sp/sp_schedule.htm http://www.rca- for directions if they never have been out here.” Call Ron about spur- omsi.org/sp/pix/troutlake.pdf of-the-moment observing. Jul 29-31 - RASCals Island Star Party (ISP), Victoria Fish & Game Assoc - Holker Place, Metchosin Cricket Field, Metchosin BC, CA Please also join the EAS e-mail list, and then send mail to the mail list http://victoria.rasc.ca/events/StarParty/ at [email protected] to coordinate spur-of-the-moment http://www.starfinders.ca/starparty.htm observing get-togethers, on nights when the sky clears. We try to hold Jul 30-Aug 7 - Mt. Kobau Star Party (MKSP), Mt. Kobau, Kelowna- informal close-in star parties each month during the spring, summer, Osoyoos BC http://www.mksp.ca/ and fall months on a weekend near the New moon at a member’s Jul 29-30 - Star-B-Q star party - Eccles Ranch Obs. - Caroline, AB property or a local park. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Eccles+Ranch+Observatory,+near+Carolin e,+Alberta&hl=en http://calgary.rasc.ca Other Western US Star Parties This Season August Star Parties April Star Parties Aug 12 - OMSI-RCA Perseid Meteor Shower Star Party, Rooster Rock State Park & Stub Stewart State Park, OR http://www.rca- Apr 28-May 1 - OAS Camp Delany Star Party, Sun Lakes SP - omsi.org/sp/sp_schedule.htm http://www.olympicastronomicalsociety.org/Documents/Spring%202011%20Camp%2 Aug 24-28 - Mount Bachelor Star Party @ Sunriver - Sunriver Nature 0Delany%20Registration%20Form.pdf http://www.olympicastronomicalsociety.org Center and Observatory, Sunriver, OR http://www.mbsp.org/ May Star Parties Aug 26-28 - Idaho Star Party - Bruneau Dunes State Park, Eagle Cove May 6-7– EAS Astronomy Day Star Party – Harborview Park Campground - Mountain Home ID - http://www.boiseastro.org/ May 21 - RCA Prineville Reservoir Star Party, Prineville, OR - Aug 27-Sep 3 - Merritt Star Quest star party- Loon Lake Road - Merritt, http://www.rca-omsi.org/sp/sp_schedule.htm BC - http://www.merrittastronomical.com/ http://www.prinevillereservoirstarparty.org/index.html Aug 27- RCA White River Canyon star party, Mt. Hood OR. - May 25-30 - Annual RTMC Astronomy Expo, Riverside, CA - http://www.rca-omsi.org/sp/whiteriver.htm http://www.rtmcastronomyexpo.org/ Aug 31-Sep 4 - Oregon Star Party (OSP), Ochocco NF May 27-29 - RCA Maupin Dark Sky Star Party, Maupin, OR - http://www.oregonstarparty.org/ http://www.rca-omsi.org/sp/maupin.htm Aug Labor Day – (tentative) SAS Brooks Memorial Park Star Party, May 27–28 - Cathedral Gorge Spring Fling - Cathedral Gorge SP - SR 97 near Goldendale - http://www.seattleastro.org/events.shtml http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Cathedral%20Gorge%20State%20Park May 29-Jun 5 - Texas Star Party (TSP) - Prude Ranch, Fort Davis, TX - September Star Parties http://www.texasstarparty.org/ Sep 23-25 - RCA Dark Sky Camp Weekend, Camp Hancock, OR - http://www.rca-omsi.org/sp/sp_schedule.htm June Star Parties Sep 23-24 - LVAS Annual Cathedral Gorge Star Party & Campout - Jun 2-5 - *NEW* Mount Bachelor Star Party @ Brothers - 40 miles Cathedral Gorge State Park - Panaca, NV - East of Bend, OR - N-43 d 47.900 W-120 38.864 - http://www.lvastronomy.org/ http://www.mbsp.org/ http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Cathedral%20Gorge%20State%20Park Jun 3-4 - Farewell Bend Public Star Party, Farewell Bend State Park, Sep 24-25 - Alberta Star Party, Starland Recreation Area Campground Huntington OR - http://www.boiseastro.org near Drumheller, Alberta, CA Jun 2-4 Craters of the Moon Star Party, Craters of the Moon Nat. http://www.astronomycalgary.com/events/info/155 Monument, ID - http://www.boiseastro.org/ Contact http://mvastro.org http://calgary.rasc.ca/asp2011.htm http://ifastro.org/pdf/IFAS_2010_Star_Parties.pdf Sep 24-Oct 2 - Okie-Tex Star Party - Camp Billy Joe, Black Mesa OK - Jun 18-25 Grand Canyon Star Party (GCSP), On North & South Rim, http://www.okie-tex.com/ Flagstaff AZ - http://www.tucsonastronomy.org/gcsp.html Sep 28-Oct 1 - Enchanted Skies Star Party - Socorro, NM - Jun 24-26 - RCA Maupin Dark Sky Star Party, Maupin, OR - http://enchantedskies.org/ http://www.rca-omsi.org/sp/maupin.htm Sep 30-Oct 2 - RCA Maupin Dark Sky Star Party, Maupin, OR - Jun 29-Jul 3 - The Rocky Mountain Star Stare (RMSS), Gardner- http://www.rca-omsi.org/sp/maupin.htm Westcliffe, CA http://www.rmss.org/ Sep 30-Oct 1- EAS Fall Astronomy Day Star Party - Harborview Park Jun 29-Jul 3 2011 - Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival, Bryce Canyon Sep 29-Oct 1 - Orion Star Party, Table Mt. Nat. Pk, UT http://seattleastro.org/orionnebsp.shtml http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/astronomyprograms.htm Jun 29-Jul 3 - Golden State Star Party (GSSP), Frosty Acres Ranch, October Star Parties Adin, CA - http://www.goldenstatestarparty.org/ Sep 29-Oct 2 - OAS Camp Delany Fall star party, Sun Lakes SP - Jun 29-Jul 2 – AlCon Expo 2011 Convention & SP, Bryce Canyon NP, http://www.olympicastronomicalsociety.com/Documents/FALLCAMPDELANYSign- UpForm.pdf UT – http://www.alcon.astroleague.org

3 Oct 24-30 Chiefland Astronomy Village FL Fall Star Party (CSPG) - Jun 14 - Kuiper belt object 50000 Quaoar closest approach to Earth (42.2AU) http://chieflandstarpartygroup.com/fall.html Jun 15 - Full Moon - total Lunar eclipse (not visible from US) Oct 27-30- RTMC Nightfall, Palm Canyon Resort, Borrego Springs, CA Jun 15 - 2004 LO2 near-Earth flyby (0.025 AU) http://www.rtmcastronomyexpo.org/nightfall.htm Jun 18-25 Grand Canyon Star Party (GCSP), On North & South Rim, Flagstaff AZ Jun 19 - 1 Ceres at opposition (7.0 mag.) November Star Parties Jun 19 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter - 5:26 UTC Nov 19 - Night Under the Stars, Alamo Lake, AZ - Jun 21 - Summer solstice, 17:16 UT, Sun reaches furthest northerly sky track http://azstateparks.com/Parks/ALLA/events.html Jun 23 - 2009 WW104 near-Earth flyby (0.039 AU) Jun 24-26 - RCA Maupin Dark Sky star party, Maupin, OR Other Star Parties Jun 25 - EAS Meeting - Saturday 3:00 pm - Evergreen Branch library http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/28583 Jun 26 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter - 8:04 UTC 73/Main/2858366 Jun 26 - Dwarf planet 134340 (Pluto) closest approach to Earth (31.06 AU) Jun 27 - Moon very near Mars in predawn sky Jun 29-Jul 3 - Rocky Mountain Star Stare (RMSS), Gardner-Westcliffe, CA 2011 ASTRO CALENDAR Jun 29-Jul 3 2011 - Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival, Bryce Canyon. Nat. Pk, UT Jun 29-Jul 3 - Golden State Star Party (GSSP), Frosty Acres Ranch, Adin, CA Jun 28 - Dwarf planet 134340 (Pluto) at opposition (31.1 AU) April 2011 Astro Calendar Jun 28 - 43 Ariadne at opposition (9.0 mag.) Apr 03 - NEW MOON & Saturn at opposition Jun 29-Jul 2 – AlCon Expo 2011 Convention & SP, Bryce Canyon NP, UT Apr 05 - 11 Parthenope at opposition (9.9 mag.) Jun 30 - Moon occults Venus Apr 06 - Jupiter in conjunction with sun (not visible for a while) Apr 12 - 51 Nemausa at opposition (9.9 mag.) July 2011 Astro Calendar Apr 12 - Yuri's Night: World Space Party Jul 01 - EAS Star Party at Ron Tam’s Place Apr 16 - EAS Meeting - Saturday 3:00 pm - Evergreen Branch library Jul 1-3 - RCA Maupin Dark Sky Star Party, Maupin, OR Apr 16-17 - NEAF Astronomy Expo - Rockland Community College, Suffern, NY Jul 01 - NEW MOON & Partial solar eclipse, visible in Indian Ocean Apr 22 - Lyrids meteor shower peak (Apr 21-23) Jul 01 - 2002 EM7 near-Earth flyby (0.028 AU) Apr 24 - Easter Sunday Holiday Jul 03 - 1244 Deira occults 2UCAC 21576667 (11.2 mag.) @06:06.1 UTC Apr 24 - Comet 227P/Catalina-LINEAR closest approach to Earth (1.68 AU) Jul 04 - Earth at aphelion (1.017 AU from Sun) th Apr 24 - Comet P/2004 T1 (LINEAR-NEAT) perihelion (1.708 AU) Jul 04 - July 4 Independence Day Holiday Apr 24 - 2003 FF5 near-Earth flyby (0.055 AU) Jul 04 - 21 Lutetia at opposition (9.4 mag.) Apr 27 - 2008 UC202 near-Earth flyby (0.023 AU) Jul 10 - EAS board meeting. Location - Mark’s house, or tbd Apr 28 - 2008 JV2 near-Earth flyby (0.059 AU) Jul 16 - Dawn spacecraft arrives at Vesta Apr 29 - EAS Star Party at Ron Tam’s Place Jul 20 - Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (27 deg from sun) evening sky Apr 28-May 1 - OAS Camp Delany Star Party, Sun Lakes St Pk, Coulee City Jul 22 - 2007 RQ17 near-Earth flyby (0.034 AU) Jul 22-23 - MVAS City of Rocks star party - Almo ID May 2011 Astro Calendar Jul 23 - 2007 DD near-Earth flyby (0.024 AU) Jul 25 - 532 Herculina at opposition (9.8 mag.) May 01 - EAS board meeting. Location - Mark’s house, or tbd Jul 27 - Moon occults Mars, or very near May 02 - 2009 UK20 near-Earth flyby (0.022 AU) Jul 27 - 9 Metis at opposition (9.6 mag.) May 02-08 - Astronomy Week this week May 03 - NEW MOON Jul 28-30 - Table Mt. Star Party (TMSP), Ellensburg WA May 05 - Eta Aquarids meteor shower peak (May 5-7) Jul 28-30 - Weekend Under the Stars star party - Foxpark, WY May 06 - 2010 KX7 near-Earth flyby (0.071 AU) Jul 28-30 - Delta Aquairid/Capricornid meteor shower peak (Jul 28-30) May 6-7- EAS Astronomy Day star party - Harborview Park Jul 29 - EAS Star Party at Ron Tam’s Place Jul 29 - South Delta-Aquarids meteor shower peak May 07 - Astronomy Day, EAS events, Everett Libraries May 07 - Mercury at its greatest western elongation (27 deg in AM sky) Jul 29-31 - Trout Lake Star Party (TLSP), Trout Lake WA May 11 - 2006 DO62 near-Earth flyby (0.024 AU) Jul 29-30 - Star-B-Q star party - Eccles Ranch Obs. - Caroline, AB May 13 - 10 Hygiea at opposition (9.1 mag.) Jul 29-31 - RASCals Island Star Party (ISP) - Metchosin , BC May 16 - Comet C/2010 V1 (Ikeya-Murakami) closest approach to Earth (1.5AU) Jul 29 - 2 Pallas at opposition (mag) May 18 - 2006 JF42 near-Earth flyby (0.059 AU) Jul 30 - OAS Hurricane Ridge star party - Port Angeles WA May 21 - RCA Prineville Reservoir star party, Prineville, OR Jul 30-Aug 7 - Mt. Kobau Star Party (MKSP), Kelowna-Osoyoos BC Jul tbd - EAS Meeting - tbd May 21 - EAS Meeting - Saturday 3:00 pm - Evergreen Branch library May 23 - 2043 Ortutay occults TYC 6784-01060-1u (10.2 mag.) @09:13.1 UTC August 2011 Astro Calendar May 24 - 2009 UO1 near-Earth flyby (0.055 AU) May 25 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter - 9:33 UTC Aug tbd - EAS Meeting - tbd May 25-30 - Annual RTMC Astronomy Expo, Riverside, CA Aug 01 - Alpha Capricornids meteor shower peak May 27-29 - RCA Maupin Dark Sky Star Party, Maupin, OR Aug 01 - 2 Pallas at opposition (9.5 mag.) May 27–28 - Cathedral Gorge Spring Fling - Cathedral Gorge SP Aug 01 - 4 Vesta closest approach to Earth (1.23 AU) May 29-Jun 5 - Texas Star Party (TSP), Prude Ranch, Fort Davis, TX Aug 05 - Brightest asteroid 4 Vesta at opposition (5.6 mag. binocular object) May 30 - Memorial Day Holiday Aug 06 - Southern Iota Aquarids meteor shower peak Aug 12 - Perseids meteor shower peak (Aug 11-14) - moon interferes June 2011 Astro Calendar Aug 12 - OMSI-RCA Perseid meteor shower Star Party, Rooster Rock OR Aug 13 - 1309 Hyperborea occults TYC 0591-00575-1u (11.5) @ 09:52.8 UTC Jun 01 - NEW MOON - Partial solar eclipse visible in Asia, east N. America Aug 15 - Comet 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova near-Earth flyby (0.06 AU !!) Jun 02 - 2009 BD near-Earth flyby (0.002 AU !!!) Aug 15 - 349 Dembowska at opposition (9.7 mag.) Jun 03 - EAS Star Party at Ron Tam’s Place Aug 22 - Neptune at opposition Jun 2-5 - *NEW* Mount Bachelor Star Party @ Brothers , Bend OR Aug 23 - Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) closest approach to Earth (1.39 AU) Jun 2-4 - Craters of the Moon star party, Craters of the Moon Nat. Mon., ID Aug 24 - Comet 9P/Tempel closest approach to Earth (1.58 AU) Jun 3-4 - RCA Farewell Bend public star party, Huntington OR Aug 24-28 - Mount Bachelor Star Party @ Sunriver resort Jun 10 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter - 9:26 UT Aug 25 - Northern Iota Aquarids meteor shower peak 4 Aug 25 - Comet 130P/McNaught-Hughes closest approach to Earth (1.16 AU) Nov 06 - 29 Amphitrite at opposition (8.7 mag.) Aug 26 - EAS Star Party at Ron Tam’s Place Nov 08 - 2005 YU55 near-Earth flyby (0.002 AU !!!) Aug 26-28 - Idaho Star Party - Bruneau Dunes State Park, Mountain Home ID Nov 11 - 68 Leto at opposition (9.6 mag.) Aug 27-Sep 3 - Merritt Star Quest star party - Loon Lake Road - Merritt, BC Nov 11 - Veteran’s Day Holiday Aug 28 - NEW MOON Nov 4-6 - Advanced Imaging Conference – Hyatt Regency - Santa Clara CA Aug 31- Sep 4 - Oregon Star Party (OSP) - Ochocco NF, OR Nov 12 - 40 Harmonia at opposition (9.4 mag.) Aug 28 - 2002 JR100 near-Earth flyby (0.051 AU) Nov 13 - 30 Urania at opposition (9.6 mag.) Aug 31 - Comet 213P/Van Ness closest approach to Earth (1.2AU) Nov 14 - Mercury at greatest eastern elongation (23 deg. Evening sky) Nov 16 - 172 Baucis occults HIP 17308 (9.1 mag star) from WA @ 09:29.5 UTC September 2011 Astro Calendar Nov 15 - Kuiper Belt Object 90377 Sedna at opposition (86 AU) Nov 17 - Leonids meteor shower peak (Nov 17-19) Sep 1-4 - SAS Brooks Mem. St. Pk. Star Party, SR 97 N of Goldendale (tentative) Nov 19 - Night Under the Stars star party, Alamo Lake, AZ Sep 02 - 192 Nausikaa at opposition (8.3 mag.) Nov 22 - 115 Thyra at opposition (9.6 Mag.) Sep 03 - Mercury at greatest western elongation (18 deg. AM sky) Nov 22 - Moon, Saturn, Spica form very tight group in predawn sky Sep 03 - Hurricane Ridge star party, near Port Angeles WA Nov 24 - Thanksgiving Holiday Sep 05 - Labor Day Holiday observed Nov 24 - Comet C/2010 G2 (Hill) closest approach to Earth (1.25 AU) Sep 11 - EAS board meeting. Location - Mark’s house, or tbd Nov 25 - NEW MOON - Partial solar eclipse in Africa, Antarctica, Tasmania Sep 16-17- EAS Fall Astronomy Day Star Party - Harborview Park Nov 26 - 739 Mandeville occults TYC 4760-00046-1u (10.8 mag.) @ 13:32.1 UTC Sep 17 - Bright asteroid 1 Ceres at opposition (7.6 mag.) Nov 27 - Islamic new year Sep 17 - 1 Ceres closest approach to Earth (1.99 AU) Nov 30 - 15 Eunomia at opposition (7.9 mag.) Sep 23 - Autumnal Equinox (09:04 UT) Nov tbd - EAS Meeting - tbd Sep 23 - 2007 TD near-Earth flyby (0.01 AU) Sep 23-25 - RCA Dark Sky Camp Weekend, star party - Camp Hancock, OR December 2011 Astro Calendar Sep 23-24 - LVAS Cathedral Gorge Star Party & Campout - Panaca, NV Sep 24 - EAS Star Party at Ron Tam’s Place Dec 10 - Total Lunar eclipse - Moon sets eclipsed for viewers in western US Dec 13 - Geminids meteor shower peak (Dec 13-15) Sep 24-25 - Alberta Star Party, Drumheller, Alberta, CA Dec 14 - 2004 BG41 near-Earth flyby (0.033 AU) Sep 24-Oct 2 - Okie-Tex star party - Camp Billy Joe, Black Mesa OK Dec 15 - 112 Iphigenia occults TYC 1871-00287-1u (10.6 mag) @ 02:02.4 UTC Sep 25 - Uranus at opposition Dec 22 - Winter Solstice, 05:30 UT - sun furthest south in sky for year Sep 25 - Zodiacal light visible in morning sky next 2 weeks or so, 80 m sunrise Dec 22 - Ursids meteor shower peak Sep 27 - NEW MOON Dec 23 - Mercury at greatest western elongation (22 deg. in AM sky) Sep 28 - 119 Althaea occults TYC 1334-00235-1u (10.9 mag.) @ 09:40.8 UTC Dec 23 - Comet C/2009 P1 (Garradd) perihelion (1.55 AU) Sep 29-Oct 2 - OAS Camp Delany Fall Star Party, Sun Lakes SP, WA Dec 25 - Christmas Holiday Sep 28-Oct 1 - Enchanted Skies star party - Socorro, NM Dec 26 - 2000 YA near-Earth flyby (0.007 AU !!! - 2.5x Earth-Moon distance Sep 30-Oct 2 - RCA Maupin Dark Sky Star Party, Maupin, OR Dec 28 - 2003 AK18 near-Earth flyby (0.057 AU) Sep 29-Oct 1 – Orion Star Party – Table Mt. Dec 28 - Double shadow transit on Jupiter - 3:52 UTC Sep tbd - EAS Meeting - tbd Dec tbd - EAS Holiday Meeting – tbd

October 2011 Astro Calendar OBSERVER’S INFORMATION… Oct 01 - Astronomy Day

Oct 01 - Mars crosses through M44 Beehive cluster, in predawn sky Oct 02 - Comet 131P/Mueller closest approach to Earth (1.5 AU) LUNAR FACTS Oct 04 - 27 Euterpe at opposition (9.3 mag.) Oct 05 - Comet 78P/Gehrels closest approach to Earth (1.19 AU) Apr 18 Full Moon Oct 08 - Yom Kippur Holiday Apr 25 Last Quarter Moon Oct 8-9 - Draconids meteor shower peak (* possible outburst to 750/hr ! *) May 03 New Moon Oct 10 - Columbus Day Holiday May 10 First Quarter Moon Oct 11 32 Pomona occults TYC 6283-00728-1u (10.9 mag star) @ 06:27.5 UTC May 17 Full Moon Oct 12 - 2010 GM65 near-Earth flyby (0.038 AU) Oct 13 - 593 Titania occults TYC 1341-01731-1u (11.2 mag) @ 07:36.2 UTC May 24 Last Quarter Moon Oct 15 - Dwarf Planet 136199 Eris at opposition (95.6 AU) Jun 01 New Moon Oct 17 - 2009 TM8 near-Earth flyby (0.003 AU !!!) Jun 09 First Quarter Moon Oct 18 - 2009 UC near-Earth flyby (0.055 AU) Jun 15 Full Moon Oct 19 - Comet 49P/Arend-Rigaux perihelion (1.42 AU) Jun 23 Last Quarter Moon Oct 21 - Orionids meteor shower peak (Oct 20-22) Jul 01 New Moon Oct 23 - 433 Eros occults TYC 3390-00294-1 (9.9 mag) @ 08:11.4 UTC Jul 08 First Quarter Moon Oct 24 - Comet 198P/ODAS closest approach to Earth (1.22 AU)

Oct 24 - 230 Athamantis at opposition (9.9 mag.) Oct 26 - NEW MOON P N HE KY HIS ONTH HE LANETS AND LUTO Oct 27-30 - RTMC Nightfall star party, Palm Canyon Resort, Borrego Springs, CA U I T S T M - T P ( P ) Oct 28 - Moon occults Mercury Oct 29 - EAS Star Party at Ron Tam’s Place Object Rises Sets Con Diam. Mag Oct 29 - Jupiter at opposition Sun 06:17 am 20:02 Psc 30’ -27.5 Oct 31 - Halloween Holiday Mercury 05:50 am 18:46 Psc 11” +2.8 Oct tbd - EAS Meeting - tbd Venus 05:24 am 17:05 Psc 12” -3.9 November 2011 Astro Calendar Mars 05:52 am 18:34 Psc 4” +1.2 Nov 03 - Taurids meteor shower peak Jupiter 06:08 am 19:11 Psc 33” -2.0 Nov 05 - EAS Star Party at Ron Tam’s Place Saturn ** 18:25 06:12 am Vir 19” +0.4 Nov 06 - Daylight Saving Time ends - Set clock back 1 Hour (USA) Uranus 05:33 am 17:39 Psc 03” +5.9 5

Neptune 04:28 am 14:48 Aqr 02” +7.9 EAS MEMBER NEWS Pluto 01:24 am 14:48 Sag * +14.0 (times listed are in local time for Everett PST) Don’t miss Astronomy Day ! May 6/7 star parties, Saturday at Library.

CLUB SCOPES $$ - FINANCIAL HEALTH - $$ The club currently maintains a $550+ balance. We try to keep approximately a $500 balance level to allow for contingencies. Funds obtained from membership dues allows the EAS to publish the Stargazer newsletter, pay Astronomical League dues, pay insurance, host a web site, and maintain our library.

UW Astronomy Speakers Colloquium Schedule Astronomy Department weekly colloquium meets Thursdays at 4:00 pm in PAB A102 - the classroom part of the Physics/Astronomy Building complex. http://www.astro.washington.edu/pages/colloquium.html

‘IT’S OVER YOUR HEAD’ – ASTRONOMY PODCASTS Web page with lots of archives and other info is available at http://www.celestialnorth.org/radio/index.php and podcasts at http://www.celestialnorth.org/radio/index.php KPLU 88.5 FM National Public Radio has daily broadcasts of "Star Date" by the McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas at Austin, Mon - Fri 6:30PM; Sat - Sun 6:00PM. The short 2 minute radio show deals with current topics of interest in astronomy. The University of Washington TV broadcasts programs from NASA at 12:00 AM Monday through Friday, 12:30 AM Saturday, and 1:30 AM Sunday on the Channel 27 cable station.

EAS MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS & INFORMATION EAS Club Telescope Borrowing – (Ken Ward 10” club telescope shown) Being an EAS member also allows you the use of the club's telescopes, including EAS Benefits - Membership in the Everett Astronomical Society (EAS) includes an award winning 10 inch Dobsonian mount reflector, a second 10” dob, or and invitations to all of the club meetings and star parties, and entitles members to 8” Dobsonian. Contact Ron Tam, (360) 568-5152 to borrow a telescope. the monthly newsletter, The Stargazer. Only members may vote in EAS SCOPE LOAN STATUS elections, or be eligible for EAS drawings. NEW 8-INCH SKYQUEST DOB (PICTURE BELOW) AVAILABLE FOR LOAN Magazine Discounts – In addition you will be able subscribe to Sky and 8-INCH DOBSONIAN CURRENTLY ON LOAN Telescope for $7 off the normal subscription rate, contact the treasurer (Jerry 10-INCH KEN WARD DOBSONIAN AVAILABLE FOR LOAN Galt) for more information. http://everettastro.org/application.htm (When 10-INCH SONOTUBE DOBSONIAN AVAILABLE renewing your subscription to Sky & Telescope you should send your S&T 13-INCH THIN-MIRROR DOB FINISHING REHAB renewal form along with a check made out to Everett Astronomical Society to 25-INCH MIRROR CHARACTERIZATION – FUTURE PROJECT the EAS address. The EAS treasurer Jerry Galt will renew your Sky and Telescope subscription for you. Astronomy magazine offers a similar opportunity to club members.) Membership in the Astronomical League - EAS is a member of the Astronomical League and you will receive the Astronomical League's quarterly newsletter magazine, The Reflector. EAS Library - Membership will give you access to all the material in the lending library. The library, consists of VCR tapes, DVDs, many books, magazines, and software titles. The EAS has a library of books, videotapes, and software for members to borrow,\. We always value any items you would like to donate to this library. You can contact club librarian to borrow or donate any materials. See library items list here: http://everettastro.org/eas_library.htm Joining or Renewing with the EAS - EAS dues are $25 / year per family. If it has been a year since you paid your dues, please re-subscribe to keep the club financially solvent, and to continue to receive membership benefits. http://everettastro.org/application.htm >> Members – please check to see when your membership dues are payable. If you are more than three months past due, the club will officially assume that you no longer wish to be a member, and remove This is new 8” Orion dob club scope, which was recently donated. you from the distribution of newsletters and rolls for club elections. We recently sent reminder e-mail for those whose dues were 6 A 25-inch mirror has been donated to the club, and investigation is under way to determine what would be required to turn it into a large club telescope. If you months past due. << have interest or skills in mirror testing or telescope making, please let us know. Send your annual dues renewals to the EAS members: contact Ron Tam, to borrow a scope for up to 60 days. Everett Astronomical Society P.O. Box 12746, Everett, WA 98206. 6 Those who have subscriptions to Sky and Telescope can now pay their own the Sun and lie between 7,500 and 18,000 light years from Earth. These subscription as long as they are EAS members in good standing. Members will stars are expected to last only a few million years and will end their now be able to renew directly via mail or phone and still obtain the club lives with supernova explosions. discount. The subscribers may mail in the renewal notices with their payment, or renew via phone at (800) 253-0245. Payment at the time of renewal is required. Once a year, Sky and Telescope will check with the EAS club treasurer to see that the subscribers are still members in good standing to qualify for the discount. New members will continue to subscribe through the club treasurer.

Digital Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon The Lunar and Planetary Institute has created a digital version of Lunar Orbiter Photographic Atlas of the Moon, and Consolidated Lunar Atlas available at: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/research/cla/menu.html http://www.lpi.usra.edu/research/lunar_orbiter Observing Jupiter’s Moons – Java tool http://skytonight.com/observing/objects/javascript/jupiter Transit times for Jupiter’s Great Red Spot in 2011 http://skytonight.com/observing/objects/planets/3304091.html

NOAA SUN CALCULATOR Need to know exactly what time the sun will set on Sept. 26, 2065? Or when it rose in 565 BC? How about the length of daylight a week from Tuesday in Albuquerque, N.M.? Just go to NOAA's solar calculator, now available on the Web. http://www.srrb.noaa.gov/highlights/sunrise/gen.html This image shows infrared data from Spitzer Space Telescope near the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. Both outlined boxes contain an artificially darkened view HOW YOU CAN HELP THE EAS of the Spitzer data, to highlight a bright X-ray source (blue) detected at the center of each square with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Each X-ray source Vice president: Run monthly meetings if President is absent, and coincides with a strong infrared signal. store/loan club telescopes. Dust and gas obscure much of the view from optical telescopes from Sidewalk astronomy committee: Plan and conduct urban/suburban the plane of our Galaxy - Finding these very massive stars is not easy. sidewalk astronomy events to allow passers-by to experience Dust and gas throughout the Milky Way obscures much of the view astronomy. Needs 2-3 people for each event, and to schedule events. from optical telescopes near the plane of the galaxy. Infrared images We are looking for volunteers who could do a series of Sidewalk suffer less obscuration but are extremely crowded with stars. However, Astronomy sessions this spring and summer, at a local park or public these stellar behemoths shine brightly in X-ray light and easily stand venue. For safety, moral support, and effectiveness, this should be out from their neighbors in Chandra images. X-rays can penetrate this done in teams of at least two people with telescopes. Special events veil and help astronomers study these giant stars. Why are these like eclipse or comets especially draw the interest of the public. massive stars so bright in X-rays? Some massive stars have winds that Other volunteers? Find a way to help and contribute. Come up with a blow material away from their surface at over 2 million miles per hour. new idea to promote the EAS and astronomy in your community. If this high-speed material collides with the wind from a companion star, it is decelerated so suddenly that it acts like it has collided with a INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION – VISIBLE SEATTLE PASSES Solar System-sized brick wall. The shock waves resulting from this enormous collision generate temperatures up to 100 million degrees, ISS Visibility – Heavens Above: http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSummary.asp?lat=47.979&lng=- and produce copious amounts of X-rays. These Chandra observations 122.201&alt=0&loc=Everett&TZ=PST&satid=25544 followed an X-ray survey of the plane of our galaxy by the Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA), a previous X-ray ASTRONOMICAL NOTES -- ON & OFF THE WEB... mission. This survey detected about 160 X-ray sources, but only a third of them could be definitively identified due to the limited spatial resolution of ASCA. Because Chandra's ability to resolve sources is HUNTING FOR THE MILKY WAY'S HEAVIEST STARS significantly greater, much more precise positions could be obtained. Like looking for Easter eggs in a lawn of long grass, the hunt for the This has allowed scientists to identify counterparts to the X-ray sources Milky Way's most massive stars takes persistence and sharp eyes. In in other wavelengths. There are many other unidentified Galactic X-ray their stellar search through our Galactic backyard, astronomers have sources with X-ray properties similar to these four sources, so a large used powerful telescopes sensitive to X-ray and infrared radiation to population of massive stars may remain to be discovered with future find evidence for a substantial population of X-ray emitting massive Chandra observations.. stars. SCOPES JOIN FORCES FOR HUGE GAMMA-RAY EXPLOSION Data from Chandra and Spitzer have been combined to search for some of the Milky Way's heaviest stars - Analysis of the X-ray and Swift, Hubble, and Chandra X-ray Observatory have teamed up this infrared data, as well as optical and radio observations, reveals that month to study one of the most puzzling cosmic blasts ever observed. these bright sources are, in fact, extremely massive stars. Two other More than a week later, high-energy radiation continues to brighten massive stars have also been found near the plane of the Milky Way and fade from its location. Astronomers say they have never seen using similar methods. Deep observations from ESA's XMM-Newton such a bright, variable, high-energy, long-lasting GR burst before. also provided valuable information for these other two objects. All four Usually, gamma-ray bursts mark the destruction of a massive star, and of these stars are thought to be at least 25 times more massive than flaring emission from these events never lasts more than a few hours. Although research is ongoing, astronomers feel the unusual blast likely 7 arose when a star wandered too close to its galaxy's central black hole. axis of the spinning black hole as the star's gas falls into a disk around Intense tidal forces probably tore the star apart, and the infalling gas the black hole. "The best explanation at the moment is we happen to continues to stream toward the hole. According to this model, the be looking down the barrel of this jet," said Andrew Levan, who led the spinning black hole formed an outflowing jet along its rotational axis. A Chandra observations. "When we look straight down these jets, a powerful blast of X- and gamma rays is seen when the jet is pointed in brightness boost lets us view details we might otherwise miss." This our direction. brightness increase, which is called relativistic beaming, occurs when matter moving close to the speed of light is viewed nearly head on. Astronomers plan additional Hubble observations to see if the galaxy's core changes brightness. http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/star-disintegration.html http://chandra.harvard.edu and http://chandra.nasa.gov

EXPLODING ‘STARS & STRIPES’ IN X-RAY SN REMNANT The discovery of a pattern of X-ray “stripes” in the remains of an exploded star may provide the first direct evidence that a cosmic event can accelerate particles to energies a hundred times higher than achieved by the most powerful particle accelerator on Earth. This result comes from a very long observation of the Tycho supernova remnant with Chandra X-ray Observatory. It could explain how some of the extremely energetic particles bombarding the Earth, called cosmic rays, are produced. "We've seen lots of intriguing structures in supernova remnants, but we've never seen stripes before," said Kristoffer Eriksen, a postdoctoral researcher who led the study. "This made us think very hard about what's happening in the blast wave of this powerful explosion." This latest study from Chandra provides support for a theory about how magnetic fields can be dramatically amplified in such blast waves.

Center of image contains extraordinary gamma-ray burst (GRB) GRB 110328A

On March 28, Swift's Burst Alert Telescope discovered the source in the constellation Draco when it erupted with the first in a series of powerful blasts. "We know of objects in our own galaxy that can produce repeated bursts, but they are thousands to millions of times less powerful than the bursts we are seeing. This is truly extraordinary," said Andrew Fruchter. Swift determined a position for the explosion, which now is cataloged as gamma-ray burst (GRB) 110328A, and informed astronomers worldwide. As dozens of telescopes turned to study the spot, astronomers quickly noticed a small, distant galaxy very near the Swift position. A deep image taken by Hubble on April 4, pinpointed the source of the explosion at the center of this galaxy, which lies 3.8 billion light-years away from Earth. That same day, astronomers used Chandra X-ray Observatory to make a four-hour-long exposure of the puzzling source. The image, which locates the X-ray object 10 times more precisely than Swift, shows it lies at the center of This image comes from a very deep Chandra observation of the Tycho supernova the galaxy Hubble imaged. "We have been eagerly awaiting the Hubble remnant, produced by explosion of a white dwarf star in our Galaxy. Low-energy X-rays (red) in image show expanding debris from supernova explosion & high observation," said Neil Gehrels, the lead scientist for Swift. "The fact energy X-rays (blue) show blast wave, a shell of extremely energetic electrons . that the explosion occurred in the center of a galaxy tells us it is most These high-energy X-rays show a pattern of X-ray "stripes" never previously seen likely associated with a massive black hole. This solves a key question in a supernova remnant. Some of brightest stripes can also directly be seen in full about the mysterious event." Most galaxies, including our own, color image, on right side of the remnant pointing from outer rim to interior. contain central black holes with millions of times the sun's mass; those The stellar background is from DSS & only shows stars outside the remnant. in the largest galaxies can be a thousand times larger. The disrupted These stripes may provide the first direct evidence that supernova remnants can star probably succumbed to a black hole less massive than the Milky accelerate particles to energies a hundred times higher than achieved by most Way's, which has a mass four million times that of our sun. powerful particle accelerator on Earth, the LHC. The results could explain how some extremely energetic particles bombarding the Earth, called cosmic rays, are Astronomers previously have detected stars disrupted by supermassive produced, & they provide support for a theory about how magnetic fields can be black holes, but none have shown the X-ray brightness and variability dramatically amplified in such blast waves. Image credit: X-ray: seen in GRB 110328A. The source has undergone numerous flares. NASA/CXC/Rutgers/K.Eriksen et al.; Optical: DSS Since Sunday, April 3, for example, it has brightened by more than five times. Scientists think the X-rays may be coming from matter moving In this theory, the magnetic fields become highly tangled and the near the speed of light in a particle jet that forms along the rotation motions of the particles very turbulent near the expanding supernova shock wave at the front edge of the supernova remnant. High-energy 8 charged particles can bounce back and forth across the shock wave cannot be ruled out. "We were excited to discover these stripes repeatedly, gaining energy with each crossing. Theoretical models of because they might allow us to directly track, for the first time, the the motion of the most energetic particles -- which are mostly protons - origin of the most energetic particles produced in our galaxy," said - are predicted to leave a messy network of holes and dense walls Eriksen. "But, we're not claiming victory yet." corresponding to weak and strong regions of magnetic fields, respectively. The X-ray stripes discovered by the Chandra researchers are thought to be regions where the turbulence is greater and the magnetic fields more tangled than surrounding areas, and may be the walls predicted by the theory. Electrons become trapped in these regions and emit X-rays as they spiral around the magnetic field lines. However, the regular and almost periodic pattern of the X-ray stripes was not predicted by the theory. "It was a big surprise to find such a neatly arranged set of stripes," said co-author Jack Hughes. "We were not expecting so much order to appear in so much chaos. It could mean that the theory is incomplete, or that there's something else we don't understand."

Schematic Illustration of the Tycho Stripes - Illustration explains what scientists believe is occurring in stripes in Tycho supernova remnant. The blue, circular region on left is a schematic representation of outer shell making up blast wave of supernova remnant, with lighter colored regions being the stripes. Upper panel shows a close-up of a region away from stripes, where black lines show tangled magnetic field lines & red line shows an electron spiraling around one of these lines. Electrons with energies of a trillion electron volts (10^12 eV), corresponding to energies about 7 times lower than maximum energy reached by Large Hadron Collider (LHC), are responsible for X-ray emission seen by Chandra. Middle panel shows a close-up of a faint stripe. Here, magnetic fields are much more tangled and particle motions are much more turbulent, producing higher energy X-ray emission. In bright stripe tangling of magnetic fields and turbulence is even higher. The spacing between the stripes High Energy Stripes in the Tycho Supernova Remnant - Chandra image shows corresponds to radius of spiraling motion of a proton with an energy over a higher energy X-rays detected from Tycho supernova remnant. These X-rays hundred times larger than LHC. The path of such a proton is shown in yellow. show expanding blast wave from supernova, a shell of extremely energetic Very energetic particles like this do not radiate efficiently, & cannot be detected electrons. Close-ups of two different regions are shown, region A containing with Chandra, but are believed to be origin of most energetic cosmic rays in our brightest stripes & region B with fainter stripes. Stripes are areas where galaxy. Credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss magnetic fields are much more tangled & particle motion is much more turbulent than surrounding areas. Electrons become trapped in these regions & emit X- The Tycho supernova remnant is named for the famous Danish rays as they spiral around magnetic field lines. Credit: X-ray: astronomer Tycho Brahe, who reported observing the supernova in NASA/CXC/Rutgers/K.Eriksen et al. 1572. Scientists think the explosion occurred when a white dwarf star Assuming that the spacing between the X-ray stripes corresponds to grew in mass and exceeded its weight limit, forming a so-called Type Ia the radius of the spiraling motion of the highest energy protons in the supernova. The Tycho remnant is located in the Milky Way, about supernova remnant, the spacing corresponds to energies about 100 13,000 light years from Earth. "Supernova remnants are our best times higher than reached in the ‘Large Hadron Collider’ (LHC). These cosmic laboratories for understanding how nature accelerates the energies equal the highest energies of cosmic rays thought to be highest energy cosmic rays," said Roger Blandford, a noted expert in produced in our Galaxy. Because cosmic rays are composed of charged this field who was not involved with these findings. "These careful particles, like protons and electrons, their direction of motion changes measurements provide a very strong clue as to what actually happens when they encounter magnetic fields throughout the galaxy. So, the at these giant shock fronts." http://chandra.si.edu http://chandra.nasa.gov origin of individual cosmic rays detected on Earth cannot be FAST-ROTATING ASTEROID WINKS FOR AMATEUR CAMERA determined. April 14 - Video-imaging of newly discovered asteroid ‘2011 GP59’ Supernova remnants have long been considered a good candidate for shows the object appearing to blink on and off about once every four producing the most energetic cosmic rays in our Galaxy. The protons minutes. Amateur astronomers, including Nick James of Chelmsford, can reach energies that are hundreds of times higher than the highest Essex, England, have captured video of the interesting object. James energy electrons, but since they do not radiate efficiently like the generated this video of GP59 on the night of Monday, April 11. The electrons, direct evidence for the acceleration of cosmic ray protons in video, captured with an 11-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, is a supernova remnants has been lacking. These results also support the compilation of 137 individual frames, each requiring 30 seconds of prediction that magnetic fields in interstellar space are greatly exposure. At the time, the asteroid was approximately 3,356,000 km amplified in supernova remnants, but the difference between the (2,081,000 mile) distant. Since then, the space rock has become observed and predicted structures means that other interpretations something of a darling of the amateur astronomy community, with 9 many videos available. (Here is one recent posting: now, which will have twice as many sources, covering the entire sky and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7wsAZNr56E ) reaching even deeper into the universe than today's release." "Usually, when we see an asteroid strobe on and off like that, it means that the body is elongated and we are viewing it broadside along its long axis first, and then on its narrow end as it rotates ," said Don Yeomans, manager of Near-Earth Object Program Office. "GP59 is approximately 50 m [240 feet] long, and we think its period of rotation is about seven-and-a-half minutes. This makes the object's brightness change every four minutes or so." 2011 GP59 was discovered the night of April 8/9 by astronomers with the ‘Observatorio Astronomico de Mallorca’ in Andalusia, Spain. It will make its closest approach to Earth on April 15 at 19:09 UTC (12:09 p.m. PDT) at a distance just beyond the moon's orbit - about 331,000 miles. "Although newly discovered, the near-term orbital location of asteroid 2011 GP59 can be accurately plotted," said Yeomans. "There is no Mapping the IR Universe -- Image is a map of the portion of sky covered by possibility of the small space rock entering Earth's atmosphere during preliminary release of WISE data. WISE surveyed entire sky in four IR this pass or for the foreseeable future." wavelengths in 2010. On Apr 14, 2011, WISE team released data representing 57 percent of sky as seen by WISE. This preliminary release will allow NASA detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets passing astronomers & astronomy enthusiasts worldwide to explore the sky as seen by close to Earth using both ground- and space-based telescopes. The WISE. The sky can be thought of as a sphere that surrounds us in three ‘Near-Earth Object Observations Program’, commonly called dimensions. To make a map of sky, astronomers project it into two dimensions. Various methods are used to project 3-D objects into 2-D maps, but projection "Spaceguard," discovers these objects, characterizes a subset of them, used in this image of sky is called Aitoff, named after geographer who invented and plots their orbits to determine if any could be potentially it. It takes 3-D sky sphere & slices open one hemisphere, & then flattens whole hazardous to our planet. More information about asteroids and near- thing out into an oval shape. Any projection creates distortions, so people often Earth objects is at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch . pick projection type based on which distortions they want to minimize. Map is centered on Milky Way galaxy. The plane of galaxy runs along equator, & WISE DELIVERS MILLIONS OF GALAXIES, STARS, ASTEROIDS middle of galaxy is at center of map, where projection distortions are minimal. Astronomers across the globe can now sift through hundreds of Gray regions are the part of the sky not available in preliminary WISE data millions of galaxies, stars and asteroids collected in the first bundle of release. For regions with data, colors used are representational: blue & cyan data from ‘Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer’ (WISE) mission. (blue-green) represent data from the 3.4- & 4.6-micron detectors aboard WISE, and green & red represent data from the 12- & 22-micron detectors. Blue & "Starting today thousands of new eyes will be looking at WISE data, and cyan reveals mostly light from stars, while the green & red come from mostly I expect many surprises," said Edward (Ned) Wright, the mission's warm dust. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA principal investigator. Astronomers will use WISE's infrared data to hunt for hidden oddities, WISE launched into space on Dec 14, 2009 on a mission to map the and to study trends in large populations of known objects. Survey entire sky in infrared light with greatly improved sensitivity and missions often result in the unexpected discoveries too, because they resolution over its predecessors. From its polar orbit, it scanned the are looking everywhere in the sky rather than at known targets. Data skies about one-and-a-half times while collecting images taken at four from the mission are also critical for finding the best candidates for infrared wavelengths of light. It took more than 2.7 million images follow-up studies with other telescopes, including the Herschel over the course of its mission, capturing objects ranging from faraway observatory, which has important NASA contributions. "WISE is galaxies to asteroids relatively close to Earth. Like other infrared providing the newest-generation 'address book' of the infrared telescopes, WISE required coolant to chill its heat-sensitive detectors. universe with the precise location and brightness of hundreds of When this frozen hydrogen coolant ran out, as expected, in early Oct millions of celestial objects," said Roc Cutri, lead scientist for WISE data 2010, two of its four infrared channels were still operational. The processing. "WISE continues the long tradition of infrared sky surveys survey was then extended for four more months, with the goal of supported by Caltech, stretching back to the 1969 Two Micron Sky finishing its sweep for asteroids and comets in the main asteroid belt of Survey." So far, the WISE mission has released dozens of colorful our solar system. The mission's nearby discoveries included 20 images of the cosmos, in which infrared light has been assigned colors comets, more than 33,000 asteroids between Mars and Jupiter, and we see with our eyes. The whole collection can be seen at 133 near-Earth objects (NEOs), which are those asteroids and comets http://wise.ssl.berkeley.edu/gallery_images.html The public archive for with orbits that come within 28 million miles of Earth's path around the astronomers http://wise2.ipac.caltech.edu/docs/release/prelim/index.html sun. The satellite went into hibernation in early February of this year. Instructions for astronomy enthusiasts wanting to try their hand at WISE is now taking the first major step in meeting its primary goal of using the archive at http://wise.ssl.berkeley.edu/wise_image_service.html delivering the mission's trove of objects to astronomers. Data from http://www.nasa.gov/wise http://wise.astro.ucla.edu http://jpl.nasa.gov/wise the first 57 percent of the sky surveyed is accessible through an online DO COSMIC STRINGS OF GAS COME FROM ‘SONIC BOOMS’? public archive. The complete survey, with improved data processing, The Polaris filament network - The Herschel Space Observatory has will be made available in the spring of 2012. A predecessor to WISE, revealed that clouds between stars contain networks of tangled the ‘Infrared Astronomical Satellite’ (IRAS), served a similar role about gaseous filaments. Intriguingly, each filament is approximately the 25 years ago, and those data are still valuable to astronomers today. same width, hinting that they may result from interstellar sonic booms Likewise, the WISE legacy is expected to endure for decades. "We are throughout our Milky Way galaxy. The filaments are huge, stretching excited that the preliminary data contain millions of newfound objects," for tens of light years through space, and Herschel has shown that said Fengchuan Liu, the project manager for WISE. "But the mission is newborn stars are often found in the densest parts of them. One not yet over -- the real treasure is the final catalog available a year from 10 filament imaged by Herschel in the Aquila region contains a cluster of This consistency of the widths demands an explanation. Comparing about 100 infant stars. the observations with computer models, the astronomers concluded that filaments are probably formed when slow shockwaves dissipate in the interstellar clouds. These shockwaves are mildly supersonic and are a result of the copious amounts of turbulent energy injected into interstellar space by exploding stars. They travel through the dilute sea of gas found in the Galaxy, compressing and sweeping it up into dense filaments as they go. Interstellar clouds are usually extremely cold, about 10 degrees K above absolute zero, and this makes the speed of sound in them relatively slow at just 0.2 km/s, as opposed to 0.34 km/s in Earth’s atmosphere at sea-level. These slow shockwaves are the interstellar equivalent of sonic booms. The team suggests that as the sonic booms travel through the clouds, they lose energy and, where they finally dissipate, they leave these filaments of compressed material. “This is not direct proof, but it is strong evidence for a connection between interstellar turbulence and filaments. It provides a very strong constraint on theories of star formation,” says Dr André. The team made the connection by studying three nearby clouds, known as ‘IC5146’, ‘Aquila’, and ‘Polaris’, using Herschel’s SPIRE and PACS instruments. Dense filaments of gas in the ‘IC5146’ interstellar cloud at IR wavelengths 70, 250 and 500 microns. Stars are forming along these filaments. Credits: ESA/Herschel/SPIRE/PACS/D. Arzoumanian (CEA Saclay) for “Gould Belt survey” Key Programme Consortium. Such filaments in interstellar clouds have been glimpsed before by other infrared satellites, but they have never been seen clearly enough to have their widths measured. Now, Herschel has shown that, regardless of the length or density of a filament, the width is always roughly the same. The team suggests that as sonic booms from exploding stars travel through the clouds, they lose energy and, where they finally dissipate, they leave these filaments of compressed material. “This is a very big surprise,” says Doris Arzoumanian, the lead author on the paper describing this work. Together with Philippe André and other colleagues, she analyzed 90 filaments and found they were all about 0.3 light years across, or about 20,000 times the distance of Earth from the Sun.

The network of interstellar filaments in ‘Polaris’ as imaged at IR wavelengths 250, 350 and 500 microns. These filaments are not yet forming stars. Credits: ESA/Herschel/SPIRE/Ph. André (CEA Saclay) for Gould Belt survey Key Programme Consortium and A. Abergel (IAS Orsay) for the Evolution of Interstellar Dust Key Programme Consortium. “The connection between these filaments and star formation used to be unclear, but now thanks to Herschel, we can actually see stars forming like beads on strings in some of these filaments,” says Göran Pilbratt, the Herschel Project Scientist. http://www.herschel.caltech.edu, http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Herschel/SEMK0H7S9MG_0.html http://www.nasa.gov/herschel http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Herschel/index.html

SCOPES DISCOVER ONE OF YOUNGEST GALAXIES IN UNIVERSE Astronomers have uncovered one of the youngest galaxies in the

Herschel telescope mirror at ESTEC - The gigantic telescope of Herschel infrared distant universe, with stars that formed 13.5 billion years ago, a mere space observatory as it was being prepared for assembly with its spacecraft. 200 million years after the Big Bang. The finding addresses questions Herschel uses the largest mirror ever flown in space. Credits: ESA about when the first galaxies arose, and how the early universe evolved. The Hubble Space Telescope was the first to spot the 11 newfound galaxy. Detailed observations from the 10 m Keck Hubble’s vision beyond what it would normally be capable of observing. Using Observatory on Mauna Kea revealed the observed light dates to when Abell 383, a team of astronomers have identified and studied a galaxy so far the universe was only 950 million years old; the universe formed about away we see it as it was less than a billion years after the Big Bang. It is visible as two tiny dots (labeled) on either side of the bright cluster galaxy in the center. 13.7 billion years ago. Infrared data from both Hubble, and the post- Distant objects seen through gravitational lenses are typically multiply imaged & coolant, or "warm," phase of Spitzer mission revealed the galaxy's stars heavily distorted. Viewing this galaxy through the gravitational lens meant that are quite mature, which means they must have formed when the the scientists were able to discern many intriguing features that would otherwise universe was just a toddler. "This challenges theories of how soon have remained hidden, including that its stars were unexpectedly old for a galaxy galaxies formed in the first years of the universe," said Johan Richard, this close in time to the beginning of the Universe. This has profound lead author of a new study. "It could even help solve the mystery of implications for our understanding of how & when the first galaxies formed, & how the hydrogen fog that filled the early universe was cleared." how the diffuse fog of neutral hydrogen that filled the early Universe was cleared. Acknowledgement: Marc Postman (STScI) The findings may help explain how the early universe became "reionized." At some point in our universe's early history, it transitioned from the so-called dark ages to a period of light, as the first stars and galaxies began to ignite. This starlight ionized neutral hydrogen atoms floating around in space, giving them a charge. Ultraviolet light could then travel unimpeded through what had been an obscuring fog. The discovery of a galaxy possessing stars that formed only 200 million years after the big bang helps astronomers probe this cosmic reionization epoch. When this galaxy was developing, its hot, young stars would have ionized vast amounts of the neutral hydrogen gas in intergalactic space. A population of similar galaxies probably also contributed to this reionization, but they are too faint to see without the magnifying effects of gravitational lensing. The ‘James Webb Space Telescope’ (JWST), scheduled to launch later this decade, will be able to see these faint galaxies lacking Schematic of gravity lens arrangement magnification. A successor to Hubble and Spitzer, JWST will see This galaxy is not the most distant ever observed, but it is one of the infrared light from the missing population of early galaxies. As a result, youngest to be observed with such clarity. Normally, galaxies like this the mission will reveal some of our universe's best-kept secrets. one are extremely faint and difficult to study, but, in this case, nature "Seeing a galaxy as it appeared near the beginning of the universe is an has provided the astronomers with a cosmic magnifying glass. The awe-inspiring feat enabled by innovative technology and the fortuitous galaxy's image is being magnified by the gravity of a massive cluster of effect of gravitational lensing," said Jon Morse, NASA Astrophysics galaxies parked in front of it, making it appear 11 times brighter. This Division director. "Observations like this open a window across space phenomenon is called gravitational lensing. "Without this big lens in and time, but more importantly, they inspire future work to one day space, we could not study galaxies this faint with currently available peer at the stars that lit up the universe following the big bang." observing facilities," said co-author Eiichi Egami. "Thanks to nature, we http://spitzer.caltech.edu/ and http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer have this great opportunity to see our universe as it was eons ago." WISE SPOTS 'HORSESHOE ORBIT' ASTEROID ‘2010 SO16’ An asteroid recently discovered by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) may be a bit of an oddball. Most near-Earth asteroids - - NEAs for short -- have eccentric, or egg-shaped, orbits that take the asteroids right through the inner solar system. The new object, designated ‘2010 SO16’, is different. Its orbit is almost circular such that it cannot come close to any other planet in the solar system except Earth. However, even though the asteroid rides around with Earth, it never gets that close. "It keeps well away from Earth," said Apostolos "Tolis" Christou, who, together with David Asher, analyzed the orbit of the body after it was discovered in IR images taken by WISE. "So well, in fact, that it has likely been in this orbit for several hundred thousand years, never coming closer to our planet than 50 times the distance to the moon." The asteroid is one of a few that trace out a horseshoe shape relative to Earth. As the asteroid approaches Earth, the planet's gravity causes the object to shift back into a larger orbit that takes longer to go around the sun than Earth. Alternately, as Earth catches up with the asteroid, the planet's gravity causes it to fall into a closer orbit that takes less time to go around the sun than Earth. The asteroid therefore never completely passes our planet. This slingshot-like effect results in a horseshoe-shaped path as seen from Earth, in which The giant cluster of elliptical galaxies in the center of this image contains so ‘2010 SO16’ takes 175 years to get from one end of the horseshoe to much dark matter mass that its gravity bends light. This means that for very the other. "The origins of this object could prove to be very distant galaxies in the background, the clusters gravitational field acts as a sort interesting," said Amy Mainzer, the principal investigator of NEOWISE, of magnifying glass, bending & concentrating the distant objects light towards Hubble. These gravitational lenses are one tool astronomers can use to extend 12 which is the asteroid- and comet-hunting portion of the WISE survey Cassini mission. "Its uniqueness comes from its atmosphere and mission. organic lakes, but in this study, we find no strong evidence for icy volcanism on Titan."

Volcano Impostors - These two images demonstrate how, over time, rain can carve landscapes into formations that look like aspects of volcanoes. The images are computer simulation models of landform evolution by Alan Howard at the University of Virginia. The left image shows what an un-eroded rolling cratered surface looks like. The right image shows what those same rolling craters would look like after many millennia of erosion caused by rain. Note how rain and runoff erosion can form isolated blocks of cratered highlands that may resemble volcanic mountains. Credit: Copyright A. Howard In December 2010, a group of Cassini scientists presented new Astronomers used the Las Cumbres Observatory's Faulkes Telescope North in topographic data on an area of Titan called Sotra Facula, which they Hawaii to track asteroid 2010 SO16, circled here in red. Image credit: Las Cumbres Observatory, Faulkes Telescopes think makes the best case yet for a possible volcanic mountain that once erupted ice on Titan. Although Moore and Pappalardo do not NEOWISE finished its one complete sweep of the solar system in early explicitly consider this recent topographic analysis in their paper, they February of this year. Data on the orbits of asteroids and comets do not find the recent analysis of Sotra Facula to be convincing so far. detected by the project, including near-Earth objects, are catalogued at It remains to be seen whether ongoing analyses of Sotra Facula can the IAU (International Astronomical Union) Minor Planet Center. Info change minds. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is the only known moon from the Armagh Observatory, including animations, is online at to have a dense atmosphere, composed primarily of nitrogen, with two http://www.arm.ac.uk/press/2011/aac_horseshoe_orbit.html to three percent methane. One goal of the Cassini mission is to find an http://www.nasa.gov/, http://wise.astro.ucla.edu and http://jpl.nasa.gov/wise explanation for what, if anything, might be maintaining this NEW THEORY: TITAN SHAPED BY WIND, NOT ICE VOLCANOES atmosphere. Titan's dense atmosphere makes its surface very difficult to study with visible-light cameras, but infrared instruments and radar Have the surface and belly of Saturn's smog-shrouded moon, Titan, signals can peer through the haze and provide information about both recently simmered like a chilly, bubbling cauldron with ice volcanoes, or the composition and shape of the surface. "Titan is most akin to has this distant moon gone cold? In a newly published analysis, a pair Jupiter's moon Callisto, if Callisto had weather," Moore added. "Every of scientists analyzing data collected by the Cassini spacecraft suggest feature we have seen on Titan can be explained by wind, rain and Titan may be much less geologically active than some scientists have meteorite impacts, rather than from internal heating." Callisto is thought. In the paper, scientists conclude Titan's interior may be cool almost the exact same size as Titan. It has a cratered appearance, and and dormant and incapable of causing active ice volcanoes. "It would because of its cool interior, its surface features are not affected by be fantastic to find strong evidence that clearly shows Titan has an internal forces. Moore and Pappalardo conclude that Titan also might internal heat source that causes ice volcanoes and lava flows to form," have a cool interior, with only external processes like wind, rain and said Jeff Moore, lead author of the paper and a planetary scientist at impacts shaping its surface. http://erode.evsc.virginia.edu/marsfluv.htm NASA Ames. "But we find that the evidence presented to date is http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-416 unconvincing, and recent studies of Titan's interior conducted by http://www.nasa.gov/cassini http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov. geophysicists and gravity experts also weaken the possibility of http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-237 volcanoes there." GALEX SCOPE FERRETS OUT PLANET-HUNTING TARGETS Scientists agree that Titan shows evidence of having lakes of liquid Astronomers have come up with a new way of identifying close, faint methane and ethane, and valleys carved by these exotic liquids, as well stars with ‘Galaxy Evolution Explorer’ satellite. The technique should as impact craters. However, a debate continues to brew about how to help in the hunt for planets that lie beyond our solar system, because interpret the Cassini data on Titan. Some scientists theorize ice nearby, hard-to-see stars could very well be home to the easiest-to-see volcanoes exist and suggest energy from an internal heat source may alien planets. The glare of bright, shining stars has frustrated most have caused ice to rise and release methane vapors as it reached efforts at visualizing distant worlds. So far, only a handful of distant Titan's surface. But in the new paper, the authors conclude that the planets, or exoplanets, have been directly imaged. Small, newborn only features on Titan's surface that have been unambiguously stars are less blinding, making the planets easier to see, but the fact identified were created by external forces -- such as objects hitting the that these stars are dim means they are hard to find in the first place. surface and creating craters; wind and rain pummeling its surface; and Fortunately, the young stars emit more ultraviolet light than their older the formation of rivers and lakes. "Titan is a fascinating world," said counterparts, which makes them conspicuous to the ultraviolet- Robert Pappalardo, a research scientist, and former project scientist for detecting Galaxy Evolution Explorer. "We've discovered a new 13 technique of using ultraviolet light to search for young, low-mass stars ground- and space-based telescopes. The vast majority of foreign near the Earth," said David Rodriguez, lead author of a recent study. worlds have instead turned up via indirect means. One common "These young stars make excellent targets for future direct imaging of technique, for instance, relies on detecting the slight gravitational exoplanets." "wobbles" exoplanets impart to their host stars. Another technique, the "transit method," registers the tiny dip in a star's light as an Tantrum-Throwing Baby Stars - Young stars, like human children, tend exoplanet crosses in front of it relative to our vantage point. The to be a bit unruly -- they spout a greater proportion of energetic X-rays Kepler mission, in just its first four months of operations, has already and ultraviolet light than more mature stars. In some cases, X-ray come up with a list of more than 1,200 candidate exoplanets using the surveys can pick out these youngsters due to the "racket" they cause. transit method. At a very basic level, directly imaging an exoplanet is However, many smaller, less "noisy" baby stars perfect for exoplanet worthwhile because, after all, "seeing is believing," Rodriguez said. But imaging studies have gone undetected except in the most detailed X- catching a glimpse of an exoplanet also opens up novel scientific ray surveys. To date, such surveys have covered only a small avenues. Direct imaging is well suited for seeing big planets circling percentage of the sky. Rodriguez and his team figured the Galaxy host stars at considerable distances, comparable to Uranus and Evolution Explorer, which has scanned about three-quarters of the sky Neptune in our solar system. Observing such arrangements is useful in ultraviolet light, could fill this gap. Astronomers compared readings for testing concepts of solar system evolution, Rodriguez said. from the telescope with optical and infrared data to look for the telltale signature of rambunctious junior stars. Follow-up observations of 24 candidates identified in this manner determined that 17 of the stars showed clear signs of youth, validating the team's approach. "The Galaxy Evolution Explorer can readily select young, low-mass stars that are too faint to turn up in all-sky X-ray surveys, which makes the telescope an incredibly useful tool," Rodriguez said. Cool, Red and in the Neighborhood - Astronomers call the low-mass stars in question "M-class" stars. Also known as red dwarfs, these stars glow a relatively cool crimson color compared to the hotter oranges and yellows of stars like our sun, and the whites and blues of the most scorching stars. With data from the ‘GALaxy Evolution Explorer’, astronomers could reap a bounty of these red dwarfs still in their cosmic youth, under 100 million years old. In many ways, these stars represent a best-case scenario for the direct imaging of exoplanets. They are close and in clear lines-of-sight, which generally makes viewing easier. Their low mass means they are dimmer than heavier stars, so their light is less likely to mask the feeble light of a planet. And because they are young stars, their planets are freshly formed, and thus warmer and brighter than older planetary bodies.

Comparison of star & planet shadow sizes discovered by Kepler. Sun with Jupiter is show (alone) for comparison. Plus, gleaning details about the atmospheres of imaged exoplanets is less difficult than indirectly investigating worlds that transit their stars. As for actually imaging clouds or surface features of exoplanets, however, that will have to wait. Current images of exoplanets, while full of information, resemble fuzzy dots. But as technology advances, ever more information about our close-by planetary brethren will emerge. Data from WISE mission could also reveal stars that would make good candidates for imaging planets. Its all-sky maps will allow scientists to pick out nearby, young stars surrounded by warm disks of planetary debris that glow with infrared light. Such stars are similar to Planets Under a Red Sun - This artist's concept illustrates a young, red dwarf star surrounded by three planets. Such stars are dimmer & smaller than yellow the ones where planets have already been successfully imaged. stars like our sun, which makes them ideal targets for astronomers wishing to http://www.galex.caltech.edu and http://www.nasa.gov/galex take images of planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets. GALEX is http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov helping to identify young, red dwarf stars that are close to us by detecting their SPEED DEMON ALPHA CAMELOPARDALIS CREATES A SHOCK UV light (stars give off a lot of UV light in their youth). Astronomers will use telescopes to try to image giant planets that orbit farther out from these stars, Just as some drivers obey the speed limit while others treat every road such as the one depicted here at lower left. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt as if it were the Autobahn, some stars move through space faster than (SSC) others. The ‘Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer’, or WISE, captured an image of the star Alpha Camelopardalis, (or Alpha Cam, in astronomer- The Better to See Planets With - So far, only a handful of the more speak), speeding through the sky like a motorcyclist zipping through than 500 exoplanets on record have actually been "seen" by our rush-hour traffic. Such fast-moving stars are called runaway stars. 14 The distance and speed of Alpha Cam is somewhat uncertain. It is white dwarf, Zeta Ophiuchi, like its ex-partner, will ultimately die in a probably somewhere between 1,600 and 6,900 light-years away and massive type 2 supernova explosion. Perhaps the most interesting moving at an astonishing rate of somewhere between 1.5 and 9.4 features in this image are related to the interstellar gas and dust that million mph. It turns out that WISE is particularly adept at imaging surrounds Zeta Ophiuchi. Off to the sides of the image and in the bow shocks from runaway stars. Previous examples can be seen background are relatively calm clouds of dust, appearing green and around Zeta Ophiuchi , AE Aurigae, and Menkhib. But Alpha Cam revs wispy, slightly reminiscent of the northern lights. Near Zeta Ophiuchi, things up into a different gear. To put its speed into perspective, if these clouds look quite different. The cloud in all directions around Alpha Cam were a car driving across the USA at 4,200 km per second, it the star is brighter and redder, because the extreme amounts of would take less than one second to travel from San Francisco to New ultraviolet radiation emitted by the star are heating the cloud, causing York City! it to glow more brightly in the infrared than usual.

WISE captured this image of the supergiant star Alpha Camelopardalis. Alpha Cam is bright star in middle of this image, surrounded on one side by an arc- shaped cloud of dust & gas -- a bow shock -- which is colored red in this IR view. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Astronomers believe runaway stars are set into motion either through the supernova explosion of a companion star or through gravitational interactions with other stars in a cluster. Because Alpha Cam is a Blue star near the center of this image is Zeta Ophiuchi. When seen in visible supergiant star, it gives off a very strong wind. The speed of the wind light, it appears as a relatively dim red star surrounded by other dim stars & no dust. However, in this infrared image taken with WISE, a completely different is boosted in the forward direction the star is moving in space. When view emerges. Colors used in this image represent specific wavelengths of IR this fast-moving wind slams into the slower-moving interstellar light. Blue & cyan (blue-green) represent light emitted at wavelengths of 3.4 & material, a bow shock is created, similar to the wake in front of the bow 4.6 microns, which is predominantly from stars. Green & red represent light of a ship in water. The stellar wind compresses the interstellar gas and from 12 & 22 microns, respectively, which is mostly emitted by dust. dust, causing it to heat up and glow in infrared. Alpha Cam's bow Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA. shock cannot be seen in visible light, but WISE's infrared detectors Even more striking, however, is the bright yellow curved feature show us the graceful arc of heated gas and dust around the star. http://www.nasa.gov/wise, http://wise.astro.ucla.edu http://jpl.nasa.gov/wise . directly above Zeta Ophiuchi. This is a magnificent example of a bow shock. In this image, the runaway star is flying from the lower right RUNAWAY ZETA OPHIUCHI PLOWS THROUGH SPACE DUST towards the upper left. As it does so, its very powerful stellar wind is Another bow-shock image from the recently WISE data release shows pushing the gas and dust out of its way (the stellar wind extends far Zeta Ophiuchi’ s colorful impact with nearby dust and gas. Zeta beyond the visible portion of the star, creating an invisible 'bubble' all Ophiuchi is actually a very massive, hot, bright blue star plowing its way around it). And directly in front of the star's path the wind is through a large cloud of interstellar dust and gas. Astronomers compressing the gas together so much that it is glowing extremely theorize that this stellar juggernaut was likely once part of a binary star brightly (in the infrared), creating a bow shock. It is akin to the effect system with an even more massive partner. It's believed that when the you might see when a boat pushes a wave in front it as it moves partner exploded as a supernova, blasting away most of its mass, Zeta through the water. This feature is completely hidden in visible light. Ophiuchi was suddenly freed from its partner's pull and shot away like Infrared images like this one from WISE shed an entirely new light on a bullet moving 54,000 miles per hour. Zeta Ophiuchi is about 20 times the region. more massive and 65,000 times more luminous than the sun. If it SPITZER FINDS TIME-DELAYED JETS AROUND YOUNG STAR weren't surrounded by so much dust, it would be one of the brightest stars in the sky, and appear blue to the eye. Like all stars with this kind Astronomers have discovered that two symmetrical jets shooting away of extreme mass and power, it subscribes to the 'live fast, die young' from opposite sides of a blossoming star are experiencing a time delay: motto. It's already about halfway through its very short 8-million-year knots of gas and dust from one jet blast off four-and-a-half years later lifespan. In comparison, the sun is roughly halfway through its 10- than identical knots from the other jet. The finding, which required billion-year lifespan. While the sun will eventually become a quiet the infrared vision of Spitzer, is helping astronomers understand how 15 jets are produced around forming stars, including those resembling our cannot be seen in visible-light images. Spitzer's infrared vision was able to show sun when it was young. "More studies are needed to determine if jet in detail for first time. Infrared can penetrate dusty, dense clouds. other jets have time delays," said Alberto Noriega-Crespo, who is a co- The astronomy team is currently analyzing other jets imaged by Spitzer, author of the new study. "Now we know that in at least one case, looking for more evidence of time delays. (An astronomical unit is the there appears to be a delay, which tells us that some sort of distance between Earth and the sun.) Previous studies estimated that communication may be going on between the jets that takes time to the maximum size of this jet-making zone was 10 times larger. The occur." Jets are an active phase in a young star's life. wispy material in both views is gas and dust. Also, in both views, arc- A star begins as a collapsing, roundish cloud of gas and dust. By shaped bow shocks can be seen at the ends of the twin jets. The ejecting supersonic jets of gas, the cloud slows down its spinning. As shocks consist of compressed material in front of the jets. The Herbig- material falls onto the growing star, it develops a surrounding disk of Haro 34 jets are located at approximately 1,400 light-years away in the swirling material and twin jets that shoot off from above and below the Orion constellation. The Spitzer observations were made before it used disk, like a spinning top. Once the star ignites and shines with starlight, up its liquid coolant in May 2009 and began its ‘warm’ mission. the jets will die off and the disk will thin out. Ultimately, planets may http://spitzer.caltech.edu/ http://www.nasa.gov/spitzer clump together out of material left in the spinning disk. The discovery FORENSIC SLEUTHING TIES RING RIPPLES TO IMPACTS of the time delay, in the jets called Herbig-Haro 34, has also led the Like forensic scientists examining fingerprints at a cosmic crime scene, astronomers to narrow in on the size of the zone from which the jets scientists working with data from Cassini, Galileo and New Horizons originate. The new Spitzer observations limit this zone to a circle missions have traced telltale ripples in the rings of Saturn and Jupiter around the young star with a radius of 3 astronomical units. An back to collisions with cometary fragments dating back more than 10 astronomical unit is the distance between our sun and Earth. "Where years ago. The ripple-producing culprit, in the case of Jupiter, was we stand today on Earth was perhaps once a very violent place where comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, whose debris cloud hurtled through the thin high-velocity gas and dust were ejected from the disk circling around Jupiter ring system during a kamikaze course into the planet in July our very young sun," said Alex Raga, the first author of the paper. "If so, 1994. Scientists attribute Saturn's ripples to a similar object – likely the formation of planets like Earth depends on how and when this another cloud of comet debris -- plunging through the inner rings in the phenomenon ended. Essentially, every star like our own sun has gone second half of 1983. The findings are detailed in a pair of papers through a similar cloud-disk-jets formation process." One of the jets in published recently. "What's cool is we're finding evidence that a Herbig-Haro 34 had been studied extensively for years, but the other planet's rings can be affected by specific, traceable events that remained hidden behind a dark cloud. Spitzer's sensitive infrared happened in the last 30 years, rather than a hundred million years ago," vision was able to pierce this cloud, revealing the obscured jet in said Matthew Hedman, a Cassini imaging team associate, lead author greater detail than ever before. Spitzer images show that the of one of the papers. "The solar system is a much more dynamic place newfound jet is perfectly symmetrical to its twin, with identical knots of than we gave it credit for." From Galileo's visit to Jupiter, scientists ejected material. This symmetry turned out to be key to the discovery have known since the late 1990s about patchy patterns in the Jovian of the jets' time delay. By measuring the exact distances from the ring. But the Galileo images were a little fuzzy, and scientists didn't knots to the star, the astronomy team was able to figure out that, for understand why such patterns would occur. The trail was cold until every knot of material punched out by one jet, a similar knot is shot out Cassini entered orbit around Saturn in 2004 and started sending back in the opposite direction 4.5 years later. This calculation also thousands of images. A 2007 paper by Hedman and colleagues first depended on the speed of the jets, which was known from previous noted corrugations in Saturn's innermost ring, dubbed the ‘D’ ring. studies by HST. Other symmetrical jets similar to Herbig-Haro 34 have A group including Hedman and Mark Showalter, a Cassini co- been observed closely before, but it is not clear if they are also investigator, then realized that the grooves in the D ring appeared to experiencing time delays. The astronomers say that some kind of wind together more tightly over time. communication is going on between the Herbig-Haro 34 jets, likely carried by sound waves. Knowing the length of the time delay and the speed of sound allowed them to calculate the maximum size of the jet- making zone.

Image shows two views of same baby star -- left is visible-light image, at right Comet Impact Into Jupiter - Artist's concept shows comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 an infrared image from Spitzer, which shows that this star has a second, heading into Jupiter in Jul 1994, while its dust cloud creates a rippling wake in identical jet shooting off in opposite direction of first. Both jets are seen in Jupiter's ring. The comet, as imaged by Hubble, appears as a string of reddish green in Spitzer image, emanating from fuzzy white star. Only one jet can be fragments falling into Jupiter from south. A later Hubble image shows dark seen in visible image in red. Second jet is buried behind a dark cloud, thus blotches where pieces of comet had already collided with planet. The faint ring, 16 based on images obtained by Galileo mission, is normally very faint, but has been The ripples also give scientists clues to the size of the clouds of enhanced for illustration. Streaks show tracks of the comet's dust cloud. cometary debris that hit the rings. In each of these cases, the nuclei of Impacts from these dust particles tilted ring off its axis. Image credit: the comets – before they likely broke apart – were a few km wide. copyright M. Showalter "Finding these fingerprints still in the rings is amazing and helps us Playing the process backward, Hedman then demonstrated the pattern better understand impact processes in our solar system," said Linda originated when something tilted the D ring off its axis by about 100 Spilker, Cassini project scientist. "Cassini's long sojourn around Saturn meters (300 feet) in late 1983. The scientists found the influence of has helped us tease out subtle clues that tell us about the history of our Saturn's gravity on the tilted area warped the ring into a tightening origins." spiral. Cassini imaging scientists got another clue when the sun shone LONG WATCHED SOLAR POT, & WATCHING FOR FAST CMES directly along Saturn's equator and lit the rings edge-on in August 2009. The unique lighting conditions highlighted ripples not previously seen in If you've ever stood in front of a hot stove, watching a pot of water and another part of the ring system. Whatever happened in 1983 was not waiting impatiently for it to boil, you know what it feels like to be a a small, localized event; it was big. The collision had tilted a region solar physicist. Back in 2008, the solar cycle plunged into the deepest more than 12,000 miles wide, covering part of the D ring and the next minimum in nearly a century. Sunspots all but vanished, solar flares outermost ring, called the C ring. Unfortunately spacecraft were not subsided, and the sun was eerily quiet. "Ever since, we've been waiting visiting Saturn at that time, and the planet was on the far side of the for solar activity to pick up," says Richard Fisher, head of the NASA sun, hidden from telescopes on or orbiting Earth, so whatever Heliophysics Division. "It's been three long years." Quiet spells on the happened in 1983 passed unnoticed by astronomers. Hedman and sun are nothing new. They come along every 11 years or so—it's a Showalter, the lead author on the second paper, began to wonder natural part of the solar cycle. This particular solar minimum, whether the long-forgotten pattern in Jupiter's ring system might however, was lasting longer than usual, prompting some researchers to illuminate the mystery. Using Galileo images from 1996 and 2000, wonder if it would ever end. News flash: The pot is starting to boil. Showalter confirmed a similar winding spiral pattern. They applied the "Finally," says Fisher, "we are beginning to see some action." As 2011 same math they had applied to Saturn – but now with Jupiter's unfolds, sunspots have returned and they are crackling with activity. gravitational influence factored in. Unwinding the spiral pinpointed On Feb 15th and again on Mar 9th, Earth orbiting satellites detected a the date when Jupiter's ring was tilted off its axis: between June and pair of "X-class" solar flares--the most powerful kind of x-ray flare. September 1994. Shoemaker-Levy plunged into the Jovian atmosphere The last such eruption occurred back in Dec 2006. Another eruption during late July 1994. The estimated size of the nucleus was also on Mar 7th hurled a billion-ton cloud of plasma away from the sun at consistent with the amount of material needed to disturb Jupiter's ring. five million mph. The rapidly expanding cloud wasn't aimed directly at The Galileo images also revealed a second spiral, which was calculated Earth, but it did deliver a glancing blow to our planet's magnetic field. to have originated in 1990. Images taken by New Horizons in 2007, The off-center impact on Mar 10th was enough to send Northern Lights when the spacecraft flew by Jupiter on its way to Pluto, showed two spilling over the Canadian border into US states such as Wisconsin, newer ripple patterns, in addition to the fading echo of the Shoemaker- Minnesota, and Michigan. "That was the fastest coronal mass ejection Levy impact. "We now know that collisions into the rings are very in almost six years," says Angelos Vourlidas. "It reminds me of a similar common – a few times per decade for Jupiter and a few times per series of events back in Nov. 1997 that kicked off Solar Cycle 23, the century for Saturn," Showalter said. "Now scientists know that the solar cycle before this one." "To me," says Vourlidas, "this marks the rings record these impacts like grooves in a vinyl record, and we can beginning of Solar Cycle 24." play back their history later."

Subtle Ripples in Jupiter's Ring - These images, derived from data obtained by The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (NOAA/SWPC) Sunspot Number Galileo spacecraft, show subtle ripples in ring of Jupiter that scientists have been Progression chart for Jan 2000 through Mar 2011. Credit: NOAA/SWPC able to trace back to impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in Jul 1994. Top image was obtained by Galileo on Nov 9, 1996, and shows tip of Jovian ring. Middle The slow build-up to this moment is more than just "the watched pot image is a version of same image that has been computer-enhanced to show failing to boil," says Ron Turner, a space weather analyst at Analytic ripples. Bottom image shows a computer model derived from the data. Services, Inc.. "It really has been historically slow." Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI 17 neutron stars actually produces an ultra-strong magnetic field structured like the jets needed for a GRB."

Aurora resulting from Mar 7, 2011 X1.5-class flare and CME as viewed from Grand Portage, Minnesota, on Mar 10. Credit: NASA/Travis Novitsky There have been 24 numbered solar cycles since researchers started keeping track of them in the mid-18th century. In an article for Space Merger of two neutron stars simulated with new supercomputer model. Redder Weather Journal, Turner shows that, in all that time, only four cycles colors indicate lower densities. Green & white ribbons & lines represent have started more slowly than this one. "Three of them were in the magnetic fields. The orbiting neutron stars rapidly lose energy by emitting Dalton Minimum, a period of depressed solar activity in the early 19th gravitational waves & merge after about three orbits, or in less than 8 ms. The century. The fourth was Cycle #1 itself, around 1755, also a relatively merger amplifies & scrambles merged magnetic field. A black hole forms & low solar cycle," he says. In his study, Turner used sunspots as the key magnetic field becomes more organized, eventually producing structures capable metric of solar activity. Folding in the recent spate of sunspots does of supporting the jets that power short gamma-ray bursts. Credit: NASA/AEI/ZIB/M. Koppitz and L. Rezzo not substantially alter his conclusion: "Solar Cycle 24 is a slow starter," he says. Better late than never. A neutron star is the compressed core left behind when a star weighing ScienceCast on YouTube less than about 30 times the sun's mass explodes as a supernova. Its http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBl_FOONrB0 matter reaches densities that cannot be reproduced on Earth -- a single http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SolarCycle/index.html spoonful outweighs the Himalayan Mountains. The simulation began http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/536073main_fast_cme.gif with a pair of magnetized neutron stars orbiting just 11 miles apart. CAUSE OF SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURSTS FINALLY CONFIRMED Each star packed 1.5 times the mass of the sun into a sphere just 17 A new supercomputer simulation shows the collision of two neutron miles across and generated a magnetic field about a trillion times stars can naturally produce the magnetic structures thought to power stronger than the sun's. In 15 milliseconds, the two neutron stars the high-speed particle jets associated with short gamma-ray bursts crashed, merged and transformed into a rapidly spinning black hole (GRBs). The study provides the most detailed glimpse of the forces weighing 2.9 suns. The edge of the black hole, known as its event driving some of the universe's most energetic explosions. The state-of- horizon, spanned less than six miles. A swirling chaos of superdense the-art simulation ran for nearly seven weeks on the Damiana matter with temperatures exceeding 18 billion degrees Fahrenheit computer cluster at the Albert Einstein Institute (AEI) in Potsdam, surrounded the newborn black hole. The merger amplified the Germany. It traces events that unfold over 35 milliseconds -- about strength of the combined magnetic field, but it also scrambled it into three times faster than the blink of an eye. GRBs are among the disarray. Over the next 11 ms, gas swirling close to the speed of light brightest events known, emitting as much energy in a few seconds as continued to amplify the magnetic field, which ultimately became a our entire galaxy does in a year. Most of this emission comes in the thousand times stronger than the neutron stars' original fields. At the form of gamma rays, the highest-energy form of light. "For the first same time, the field became more organized and gradually formed a time, we've managed to run the simulation well past the merger and pair of outwardly directed funnels along the black hole's rotational axis. the formation of the black hole," said Chryssa Kouveliotou, a co-author This is exactly the configuration needed to power the jets of ultrafast of the study. "This is by far the longest simulation of this process, and particles that produce a short gamma-ray burst. Neither of the only on sufficiently long timescales does the magnetic field grow and magnetic funnels was filled with high-speed matter when the reorganize itself from a chaotic structure into something resembling a simulation ended, but earlier studies have shown that jet formation can jet." occur under these conditions. Says Luciano Rezzolla, the study's lead author at AEI - "This is a long-awaited result. Now it appears that GRBs longer than two seconds are the most common type and are neutron star mergers inevitably produce aligned jet-like structures in an widely thought to be triggered by the collapse of a massive star into a ultra-strong magnetic field." The authors note the ultimate proof of black hole. As matter falls toward the black hole, some of it forms jets the merger model will have to await the detection of gravitational in the opposite direction that move near the speed of light. These jets waves -- ripples in the fabric of space-time predicted by relativity. bore through the collapsing star along its rotational axis and produce a Merging neutron stars are expected to be prominent sources, so the blast of gamma rays after they emerge. Understanding short GRBs, researchers also computed what the model's gravitational-wave signal which fade quickly, proved more elusive. Astronomers had difficulty would look like. Observatories around the world are searching for obtaining precise positions for follow-up studies. That began to gravitational waves, so far without success because the signals are so change in 2004, when Swift began rapidly locating bursts and alerting faint. http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/gamma-ray-engines.html astronomers where to look. "For more than two decades, the leading model of short GRBs was the merger of two neutron stars," said co- KEPLER HELPS REVEAL INNER SECRETS OF GIANT STARS author Bruno Giacomazzo. "Only now can we show that the merger of 18 Astrophysicists are behind a major breakthrough in the study of the precision for nearly a year, opening up a window into the stars' cores. senior citizens of our galaxy: stars known as Red Giants. Using high "The changes in brightness at a star's surface is a result of turbulent precision brightness measurements taken by the Kepler spacecraft, motions inside that cause continuous star-quakes, creating sound scientists have been able to distinguish profound differences inside the waves that travel down through the interior and back to the surface," cores of stars that otherwise look the same on the surface. The Professor Bedding said. "Under the right conditions, these waves discovery made possible by observations using powerful Kepler interact with other waves trapped inside the star's helium core. It is telescope, is shedding new light on the evolution of stars, including our these 'mixed' oscillation modes that are the key to understanding a own sun. The paper's lead author, professor Tim Bedding, explains, star's particular life stage. By carefully measuring very subtle features "Red giants are evolved stars that have exhausted the supply of of the oscillations in a star's brightness, we can see that some stars hydrogen in their cores that powers nuclear fusion, and instead burn have run out of hydrogen in the center and are now burning helium, hydrogen in a surrounding shell. Towards the end of their lives, red and are therefore at a later stage of life." Astronomer Travis Metcalfe giants begin burning the helium in their cores." compares red giants to Hollywood stars, whose age is not always obvious from the surface. "During certain phases in a star's life, its size and brightness are remarkably constant, even while profound transformations are taking place deep inside." Bedding and his colleagues work in an expanding field called asteroseismology. "In the same way that geologists use earthquakes to explore Earth's interior, we use star quakes to explore the internal structure of stars," he explained. Bedding said: "We are very excited about the results. We had some idea from theoretical models that these subtle oscillation patterns would be there, but this confirms our models. It allows us to tell red giants apart, and we will be able to compare the fraction of stars that are at the different stages of evolution in a way that we couldn't before." Daniel Huber, a PhD student working with Bedding, added: "The main aim of the telescope was to find Earth-sized planets that could be habitable, but it has also provided us with a great opportunity to improve our understanding of stars." [The EAS welcomes newsletter article, photos, observing reports, and news contributions and submissions of all types from its members.] Studies of oscillation frequencies of many stars with very high precision gives insights into stellar evolution by knowing how cores of stars change (starting in In EAS StarGazer - “The Planetarium” - By John W Goerger the bottom left corner in sequence above) from hydrogen fusion-burning cores to mid-April to mid-May 2011 helium fusion-burning cores, with intermediate stages where hydrogen fusion- [email protected] or [email protected] burning shells expand into red giant sizes. A Hydrogen shell fusion star & a In last month’s column it was mentioned the murder of Morgan Earp. His Helium core fusion star are indistinguishable when looking only at their surface common-law-wife, Louisa ‘Lou’ Earp had remarried in Los Angeles, on Dec 31st properties. On the inside, they are radically different. Image credit: Thomas 1885 to Mr. Gustav H. Peters, with her dying, Jun 12th 1894. In a book I have, Kallinger, University of British Columbia and University of Vienna concerning Wyatt Earp, is a picture of him placing his hand on the door handle of a touring car in 1928; the following year he passed away, Jan 13th 1929; he was about two months shy of his 81st Birthday. The wife’s’ of Wyatt and Virgil Earp lived into the late 1940s; Josephine “Josie” (Marcus) Earp passing away on Dec 19th 1944; Alvira “Allie” Earp---who never---remarried (Virgil died in Goldfield Nevada, Oct 19th 1905) on Nov 14th 1947 in Los Angeles; all departed the ‘Stage of Life’ - going from the living to entering the stories of legends, metaphors and eventually the Western stories of mythology. Not the ‘myths’ as one thinks of the term, as in the ‘mythology of the Greek gods” but the shadow between truth and legend. It has been written and said; “When the Fact Becomes Legend, Print the Legend.” NOTE: A slight typo happened in last month’s column; Wyatt and Josie had purchased a house in Vidal CA (not Colorado), in 1917 and a home in Los Angeles; they sold the house in Vidal ten years later - the house is still there, in excellent shape, and believe it or not, is owned by a relative of the Clantons--- Terry Ike Clanton a distant relative of the “Ike” Clanton of the 1880s. In the Spring of 1997 a column I wrote, for the Orange County Space Society’s Newsletter OC SPACE, called ‘The Points of Similarity’, was submitted to the Orange County Fair which was holding a series of contests in a variety of fields, one of which included; ‘Best Professional Column, Professional Writer’s Division’. At the time, on a lark, the editor of OC SPACE, Jeff Howe submitted Kepler, the paparazzi of the celestial stars, takes snapshots of oscillations that st can be used to tell size & age of the star. As a star "burns" hydrogen in fusion my column, which won 1 place. In it, I discussed an EVENT that was reactions, helium builds up in star's core. Helium is more dense than hydrogen, considered; at the time of the ‘civilized world’, a most spectacular and magnificent accomplishment of mankind and of the western civilized world---the & since waves travel more quickly through denser material, waves travel faster nd through core as helium builds up there. Waves that go straight through center first transcontinental railroad. On May 10 2011 it will be the 142 anniversary of that grand event and as such am reprinting the column in its entirety, here. (white) line & waves that bounce around outside core (colored lines) produce th nd oscillations in surface brightness. Image credit: Travis Metcalfe, Additionally, Jul 20 2011, is the 42 anniversary of the first humans to land on National Center for Atmospheric Research the Moon; Apollo 11 with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in the EAGLE lander. Michael Collins was onboard the “mothership”, the Command/Service Module Kepler has allowed Bedding and colleagues to continuously study in orbit about the sliver orb which graces its presence about the Earth. As starlight from hundreds of red giants at an unprecedented level of noted in the column, the time-period separating these two incredible 19 occurrences’ of humankind are just one hundred years and a couple of months “U” flattened and tapered, with the ‘wings’ of the “U” curving outward, one from each other. The celebrations of both, the statements---both oral and bent toward the left and the other ‘wing’ curving toward the right. The ‘fuel’ written---made by those living - congratulating those that had suggested, (exhaust) rides down the outside part of the wings, following the curvature of financed, succeeded in building and accomplishing them, and participating in the outside of the engine, which allows for using the force of the exhaust to them; those statements could be used for the other occurrence, both of them ‘push’ on the outer parts of the “U” shape, thus giving the ability to ‘push’ or intertwined, and forever linked, showing the technological know-how and spirit ‘turn’ the vehicle from either side, changing direction as well as increasing or of what the human species can accomplish! decreasing the amount of fuel being discharged (fuel rate) and ‘burned’ can * * * change velocity. This kind of ‘rocket engine’ does not need a gimbal system as Since the publication of The Points of Similarity we lost the Space Shuttle the engine is not required to move as space shuttles three main engines do or as Columbia, not because it had ‘worn out’; not because of an unforeseen accident the Saturn V engines did. Actually the technology has been around since the but the deliberate ignorance of middle and upper managements and engineers pre-Apollo days and therefore has been ‘sitting on the self’ since. who refused to listen to the lessons supposedly learned from the Challenger With the loss of the Columbia, and within the day of the launch it was being disaster. This also includes the politicians of our federal government for stated that material had been seen coming off (‘shedding’) the ET (External refusing to increase NASA’s budget of less than 1% of the yearly federal budget, Tank---within this ‘vessel’ contains two containers of liquid hydrogen and liquid and some of them even wanting to cut the NASA budget further before the oxygen); the ‘foam’ which insolates the outside of the ET had been shedding for shuttle Columbia disaster (presently there are some politicians who take some time and known about; in fact within the operations manual, when the ‘swipes’ at NASA, still wanting to cut more of its budget – both Democrats and Space Shuttle System was being developed it clearly stated; nothing was to Republicans). With added funds, more tests could have been conducted; come off or strike (hit) the ‘stack’ (this is what the Space Shuttle is called when perhaps more time would have been taken before the space shuttles became mated with the two SRBs and the ET) and if there were ‘items’ coming off, it operational, which might have prevented the loss of two of the vehicles later. required an investigation to prevent such shedding of material as well as After the loss of Challenger, within the wings, ‘off stage’, there was another ensuring nothing would ‘strike’ the space shuttle, or other parts of the ‘stack’. It reusable space vehicle close to becoming ‘operational’ and assisting the ‘Space had become so ‘routine’ in material coming off the ET and other sources, NASA Transportation System’ with its multi-role tasks. In the late 1990’s NASA and management and upper level engineers just took it to be S.O.P. (a kind of (“Skunkworks”) Lockheed - Martin were developing the X-33 VentureStar, a Standard Operating Procedures), in other words, it was happening so many “Single-Stage-To-Orbit” winged spacecraft. The plan was to test fly a 1/3 scale times it was considered not a big deal---it was---killing all onboard and the loss model of the vehicle and once operational, a full scale fleet of these ‘New of the first operational Space Shuttle. Generation Manned Rated Winged Space Vehicles’ would enter service When it was just suggested as a possibility, (foam was seen and filmed coming gradually, into space operations along with the older space shuttles. Everything off the ET, and hitting the wing of the space shuttle during launch of Columbia was ‘internalized’ in that there were neither outside fuel tanks nor the need for by many of the media and aerospace engineers who are ‘in the know’) for the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs); an engine system called the XRS-2200 Linear loss of Columbia and her crew, instead of saying “all ideas are to be considered” aerospike. There were problems, but the main one was the idea of the main the head of NASA at the time make a statement about “…now we have these fuel tank being composed totally of carbon. The engineers/designers saw ‘foamologists’ telling us that is the problem…” At the time of launch, high speed problems with that concept and finally when this data got to the senior cameras detected foam coming off the ET and striking the left wing leading edge designers/engineers and upper management of NASA and Lockheed Martin, (port side front) of the ‘bird’. In an article, just a week or so after the loss the their decision was: “Faced with a project failure, Lockheed Martin and X-33 crew and vehicle, in Aviation Week & Space Technology, they interviewed a NASA managers gave the green light to proceed with the fabrication of the new gentleman who in his past with NASA had been Director of Launch Operations, tank. Ironically this new tank weighed in less than the composite tank – and was now working in another capacity within NASA at the time of Columbia’s disproving one of the reasons for going with a composite tank in the first place.” th launch, at the ‘Cape’. He had heard of the strike and a few days into the flight - NASA Spaceflight.com X-33/VentureStar-What really happened; Jan 4 2006, had contacted his ‘contacts’ within NASA and the U.S. military to take by Chris Bergin photographs of the vehicle while she was still in orbit---they were close to taking Appearing they were “on track”, however on Apr 11 2001, “the hammer blow” the pictures when a woman within NASA heard about it, and ordered no photos came; an Ivan Bekey who had been with NASA as head of the Advanced were needed---as far as she was concerned “her engineering analyses” and Concepts Office and according to the above mentioned article; he testified in “others under her supervision” who had also done their “analyses”, “satisfied front of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Committee on Science, at her”, that there was no problem with Columbia (by-the-way, that isn’t the US House of Representatives, on the above mentioned date, concerning “science”); in her view photos were not required of Columbia---a few days later, NASA’s budget request ‘Aero-Space Technology Enterprise’. He told them the X- the Columbia trying to “comfort her children” from the inferno and the terror 33 had to continue with the composite (fuel) tanks! He then claimed the only winds of aerodynamic forces outside, as she re-entered the atmosphere of reason for the X-33 was that all the technologies being developed had to be used Earth, began to break apart into the searing winds of infinity as she gave her all together, otherwise there is no reason for the X-33! Those employees in trying to “protect her precious cargo of human life”---a few days later a small (designers/engineers and managers) intimately involved with the technology, video camera was discovered by the search parties, and there for all to watch, as construction and operation of the X-33 were “stunned”, with his statements and the camera recorded it, was a short video of the brave crew of Columbia on the he, Ivan Bekey clearly did not have a ‘clue’ as to the solutions that had been flight deck, talking, joking, laughing and perhaps planning their lives after they arrived at. Because of his statements, the program was cancelled with an would land; than static began to show on the recording---then nothing-- outlay of $1.5 billion already spent on the X-33; it would not fly into space--- President Obama likes to make lots of speeches about NASA, and how it and ever. Even when the United States Air Force tried to get the program re-started, those who work at NASA are at the “cutting front of technology, and the they got a firm “no” from the White House at the time! “human endeavor into the cosmos”; pretty words with no substance. Yes, I am * * * in favor of private industry taking a role in this nation’s space operations, but At the time of cancellation the “prototype” was ~85% assembled with ~96% of that is nothing new. During the Apollo and Shuttle development period, private the parts and the launch facility 100% complete. It turned out that on Sep 16 industry spent their own money (think investor’s money) on aspects of space 2004 Northrop Grumman along with NASA engineers did produce a liquid operations and some of that money they never charged the American taxpayer-- hydrogen tank composed of carbon fiber material, and demonstrated repeated -they absorbed the costs themselves. Today, NASA no longer has a mandate to fuelings and simulated launch cycles. Then, in late 2007, Lockheed Martin had “Return to the Moon”---in fact it has been cancelled by President Obama. Now tested a different 1/5 scale vehicle, similar in design and abilities, and referred to NASA is just designing more ‘paper rocket studies’, build some test vehicles but as the “Space Reusable Launch Vehicle”. Two tests had been conducted no goal as to where to send these ships to! NASA’s budget was around .06 of 1% secretly in New Mexico at a location called “Spaceport America”, with the first of this nation’s budget, before Obama became President of the United States; test happening on Dec 19th 2007, which was considered a success. A second then when Obama became President he has reduced NASA’s budget to around one, launched on Aug 12th 2008, crashed after 12.5 seconds and was irreparable. .04 of 1% of this nation’s federal budget (when you factor in the ‘buying power’ However, a third test, on Oct 10th 2009 was ‘spot on’! I mentioned earlier, the over the next ~2-4 years) . So, would you say President Obama has helped engine known as the ‘Linear Aerospike’ is “U” shaped but with the bottom of the NASA? It has been stated we MIGHT send a human mission to an asteroid---but 20 when? Not only is it the White House but ‘planetary scientists’ saying, also one from the East; the winds of change. To some those winds had a name; concerning the moon; “been there, done that”! Oh, really? In a previous column the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroads. The event that was exciting I mentioned the moon is equal in size to combining Africa and Australia! Only and arousing the imagination of humanity was the completion of the first 12 human beings have walked and drove a few miles on the moon. Imagine transcontinental railroad! The Central Pacific began laying rail in 1863 from telling someone to send 12 human beings to walk around Africa for a couple of Sacramento. From a point just west of Omaha, the Union Pacific started its work days or so and then send them to Australia and do the same thing; then we in 1865. Before the advent of the transcontinental rail operations, people and have them get in an airplane and fly around for a few hours over those freight were transported by wagon, riverboat, sailing vessel, or some landmasses then come home. Never to return again; oh maybe, 30+ years later combination of each. Time is money. It took months or years to travel or ship we send over a remote control airplane, take a few more photos---how much material from either side of the American continent. Cost was staggering, in would we have learned about those two “continents? Not much! lives, the limited amount of cargo that could be carried, and the loss of goods. There is ‘work’ going on at NASA to develop another rocket which is planned to Families that had moved west were separated by distance, time and cost, from be ‘man-rated’ but when and where will those future astronauts go? When the their relatives and loved ones that lived back east. Space Transportation System (Space Shuttles) are given to the various museums At Promontory Point, the first spectators were gathering at 7 o’clock in the in the US, when they are shutdown this year, the United States and NASA will morning of May 10th 1869. The locomotive for the Central Pacific, the “Jupiter” not have the ability of launching any human beings into space; not even into arrived at 8:45 a.m. The Union Pacific, “Engine No. 119,” was there by 11:00 am low earth orbit where America’s International Space Station is. Granted, many At 11:55, an estimated 500 to 3000 people were in attendance. At noon, the countries and nations have and are involved with the development, construction temperature was reported to be 69 degrees. A telegraph operator at 12:47 pm and the day-to-day operations of that magnificent manned platform, but the transmitted a message that the Golden Spike had been hammered home. The reality is the United States bore, and is paying, the largest cost of the ISS. East and West coasts of the United States were now wedded in iron. It now According to almost anyone in the space field, NASA will not have the ability to took only 8 to 10 days for people and cargo to go from coast to coast. Families launch anyone into space from 3 to perhaps 8 yrs (10yrs+?) from now! To get to that journeyed west to make a new home for themselves now traveled by rail to the ISS, NASA will rely on our Russian partners, which is fine, but that is like you visit those in the east. Those that lived back east used the train to come west. living on your own and asking a friend who lives in another ‘state’, in another By 1888 construction of the Lick observatory with a 36-inch refractor was city, to always drive you somewhere and they are the only ones you can get a completed and operational in California. Before the development of the ‘ride’ from! According to TIME magazine, Mar 28th 2011, on page 9, they state transcontinental rail system there were no large astronomical observatories in the cost the Russians are charging us to get a ride with them, in their Soyuz the West. They finally had the ability to transport the machines that could build spacecraft, to the ISS (well at least it is ‘round-trip’)—you ready for your ‘space- other machines, at a substantially lower cost. About ten weeks after the bus’ bill? At least, sixty-three million dollars ($63,000,000.00) a flight—such a celebration at Promontory Point Utah, the nearly full moon was visible in the bargain---NASA has nothing it needs that $63 million (per flight) for does it? summer evening sky. The date was Jul 20th 1869. Remember, we will be relying on ONLY THEM to get us to and from the ISS, most * * * of which was paid for by the American public---thank you George W. Bush, “Houston, Tranquility Base here…The Eagle has landed.” On Jul 20th 1969, the Barack H. Obama, and Congress; mighty nice of you guys to let us pay the first humans landed upon the moon. It was a major step in the Human Russians to get to OUR space station! Maybe, just maybe private industry, or Experience, that humanity had at last the reach to grasp the yellow-whitish orb NASA, will have a human-rated space vehicle for the United States to use, but that circles the Earth. How can we ever forget those feelings of awe and again remember we are looking at anywhere from three to possibly eight Years wonderment as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface and uttered the (10yrs+?), until we can send our own astronauts to the International Space words we all felt: “That’s one small step for a Man; One giant leap for Station! That is assuming nothing goes ‘out of whack’ in the meantime---let’s Mankind.” Since that event, our views of ourselves and our homeworld have hope not, but given the political and engineering situations of the past I sure am never been, and can never be the same. Project Apollo, the United States not going to be holding my breath on this one, talk about being on a knife’s commitment to go to the moon, was initiated in 1961 by President John F. edge! So now here is my column from 1996; enjoy and hope it gives you Kennedy: “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, something to think about: before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely * * * to Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to The Points of Similarity - Orange County Fair Winter-1997 Best Reporter’s mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space”. st Contest 1 Place, Serious Column, Professional Division (First published in the The points of similarity between the developments of the world’s first Spring OC NEWS newsletter of the Orange County Space Society (CA) (OCSS) a transcontinental railroad system, the Apollo project and the Space Shuttle chapter of NSS (National Space Society) program are interesting. In the 1850s there were discussions and preliminary On the northeast horizon the sun would be rising in about an hour. In that studies about the possibility of a coast-to-coast railroad. In the 1950s there direction there was the slightest hint of a reddish-orange color. People from the were the beginnings of spaceflight and feasibility studies of manned spaceflight surrounding countryside and farther, were gathering to witness an Extraordinary and perhaps manned flights to the moon, in the foreseeable future. During the Event. This event that they were taking part in and causing to happen, would American civil war, Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. This act create incredible change in society, industry and commerce. At this time no authorized the creation of a transcontinental rail system with a completion of 12 person on the planet could have predicted the changes this event would cause. years. When President Kennedy gave his message to Congress and the The day is Monday May 10th 1869, at Promontory Point Utah. American people about going to the Moon, the date was May 25th 1961. Both * * * of these great accomplishments were completed in less time than had been The spring rains of ’69 had been unusually heavy since Friday, but by Sunday allocated. Project Apollo was paid for by the citizens of the United States. evening the clouds had begun to break up. From late Sunday night and into However, many of the industries that were involved with the space program early Monday morning of the 10th, the air temperature had dropped to where (and those that still are), absorbed some of the development and operational the standing rainwater had frozen. A strong breeze was beginning to make its costs themselves. The railroads were financed by a combination of private presence known; later in the morning the ice would thaw. The rain had gone and investors, government bonds and large tracks of public lands that were given to the predawn sky was alive with the twinkling stars. People of this period the railroad by the government. There tends to be a misunderstanding in this probably read the “Farmer’s Almanac” and may have been familiar with some of nation that only private industry should create new technologies and the brighter stars and more noticeable constellations. These stars and engineering systems; that they should pay for it all, not the government. A day constellations until recently, were perceived as unchanging and eternal. The doesn’t go by without someone saying; “You (meaning the government) are not distances to the stars, infinite. The star Arcturus was in the western part of the going to use my hard-earned tax dollars for that boondoggle!” Many of the predawn sky, with Antares to the southwest. Almost overhead was the industrial and engineering feats in America were in part, or in whole, financed by constellation Cygnus, with Aquila and Lyra nearby. Forming those constellations the taxpayer. Besides the railroad and the space programs, there are many were the stars Deneb, Altair and Vega. Toward Antares was another star-like others such as the Panama Canal and the aircraft industry. One must realize object, the planet Saturn. A few thin clouds drifted rapidly eastward, as the that billions, if not trillions, of dollars have been made on these initial wind came from the west. Another kind of wind was coming from the West and investments. The key is to allow new technologies to reach an ignition point, at 21 which time they become self-replicating. At that point government funds can be criminal negligence, if not just plain stupidity! If we allow the same situation to reduced, or eliminated altogether. befall present human space projects then the generations to come may easily * * * consider what we did, criminal, to them and their future. To paraphrase the Apollo 11 was launched on Jul 16th 1969 at 8:32 am from Florida. The one Father of Russian Rocketry, Dr. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky: “The Earth is the cradle million spectators watching from the launch area does not include the tens of of mankind, but one cannot remain in the cradle forever.” millions who witnessed the launch on their television sets, or those that heard it Since the first publication of the above article much has changed, some for the on radio. At 4:18 pm Jul 20th 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon in a region good such as the ‘mostly completed’ International Space Station but much more called Mare Tranquillitatis; the Sea of Tranquility. At 9:56 pm, a remote TV toward the negative in the loss of Columbia, the ‘retiring’ of the entire Space camera transmitted a picture to planet Earth of Neil Armstrong making his first Shuttle fleet [NOTE: Each was designed for a minimum of 100 missions-one of step onto the lunar surface. Half the Earth’s human population witnessed and them has completed about 1/3 of its design specifications], nothing to replace heard Armstrong’s first words of this event. About 20 minutes later, after them and leaving this nation without the means of lofting its own astronaut Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin stepped onto the surface and exclaimed; teams off-planet, for at least 3-8 years after the shuttles have been “retired”. In “Beautiful, Beautiful, what magnificent desolation”. The first two my ending statement earlier, I stated; “…If we allow the same situation to befall representatives of the Human Race were standing upon the moon. On that date present human space projects then the generations to come may easily consider the stars and constellations seen in the summer evening sky were the same stars what we *have done+, criminal, to them and their future”. It will be up to future and constellations that a person would have seen in the predawn sky of May historians to decide out ‘guilt’ concerning what we have done to this nation’s 10th 1869. Apollo 17 was the last manned voyage to the moon of Project civilian manned space operations; I personally think it will not bode well for us, Apollo. The year was 1972. There had been long-range plans for additional with our future generations, assuming there will be any. In passing, it should be excursions, research bases and eventually industrial and mining operations. It noted the Space Transportation System* [Space Shuttle Program] was budgeted, was all canceled! The space vessels of discovery were to rot on the surface of in “1972 dollars” at approximately $7.5 billion with an agreed 20% (~$1.5 billion) the earth. Hundreds of thousands and possibly over a million space workers out cost overrun, as was “normal” when funding for new technological of work, and onto the unemployment lines. What seemed to have happened to developments. Including the 20% cost overrun the budget was around $9.0 the Apollo program was a loss of direction by some political and social leaders, billion, which included not just the planning, but the engineering, designing, and and citizens of the U. S. When the goal of going to the moon was achieved, the building of five (5) space shuttles, and all the related support activities, such these people said that it was a waste of time. To them, America and the world, as the launch facilities and materials required to operate such a complex and did not need any new physical frontiers. They talked about the social injustices integrated system. As stated this was in 1972 -“dollars”; however, by the mid to that were (and are) occurring on the planet. To them, the only way to solve late 1970s double-digit inflation hit not only the average American but NASA as these social injustices was to look inward and try to find “one’s true self”. As well---basically NASA built the STS* on half of the budget that had been allocated one examines human history you find periods in which this type of philosophy for it---NASA never got additional funds to make up for its loss of was espoused. What do you think was one of the major causes of the medieval spending/buying power because of those inflationary years of the 1970s. period (the Dark Ages) in Europe, or when China stopped her voyages of However, other government programs did, such as the social services programs discovery sometime between the 13th and 14th centuries? and the military. What about the others that are telling us that there is no future, that these are * * * the end times? That, from ancient manuscripts written over two thousand years One obvious result was only four (4) Space Shuttles being built, not the fifth ago, by a nonscientific society, it was predicted that the end of the human one. Additionally, some “tests” were dropped from the ‘testing phase’, both in society and the world is close at hand. There are books on the market today design and building of the space vehicles (remember Hubble Space Telescope’s claiming that the Apollo missions were faked. Get real! Others believe that we problem that required an extra shuttle mission to repair it [in essence, giving need to get a better understanding of the “meaning of life”, before we can Hubble a pair of glasses], well a test had been planned but was cancelled journey into the cosmos. Who elected these groups to make decisions for us, or because NASA did not have the funds to conduct that test. Had they done the the future generations of humanity? What would you have thought if, after the test, the error would have been discovered and corrected while Hubble was still transcontinental railroad had been built, the people then tore up all the rails, planet-side) as well as “backgrounds” on those involved with the actual destroyed all those trains, then laid off most of the railroad workers? Kind of assembly of the vehicles, at Palmdale/Lancaster Ca. The “requirements” to do a stupid, right? Well, that is what we did as a nation to the Apollo program. May “background check” similar ‘in-kind’ to law enforcement of those days, was 10th 1996 was the 127th anniversary of the event at Promontory Point. Jul 20th, lessoned. Ex-cons from the county jail/state prison, were now being hired on a 1996 marked the 27th anniversary of Tranquility Base. Just seven miles from ‘part-time’ basis to assist with the installation of the tile-protection covering of Promontory Point is Thiokol, the company that manufactures the solid rocket the vehicle; an idea that had come from “social do-gooders” in the community boosters for the space shuttle. At present the space shuttle system is our that ‘the disenfranchised, the outcasts should be given a chance to re-enter the second chance to develop a “railroad into space”. We build upon systems we community and assist in the betterment of one and all’. During the testing stage now have to improve our ability of getting into space. Orbiting the Earth is the of the Columbia and Challenger, tiles were coming off, causing additional delays Russian space station “Mir”. In Mar 1996, Dr. Shannon Lucid became the first in the program. One source identified was the adhesives, which was not American woman to serve on a space station. She spent over six months aboard bonding to the tile and the ‘skin’ of the shuttles but another problem was Mir, marking the beginning of a permanent American presence in orbit through discovered after the loss of the Challenger, Space Shuttle. It came out during at least the turn of the century. Congressional testimony, that some of the “inmate workforce” had deliberately * * * been punching holes into the tile; the idea was, it would cause some of the tiles Work is progressing on the International Space Station (ISS). The first to come off, requiring more re-work to the installation of the tiles, thus keeping components are to be deployed in earth orbit by the space shuttle at the end of the ex-cons employed! I do not think we will be looked upon kindly, by 1997. The railroads made the creation of Lick observatory a reality. The space American historians (assuming there will be any), but other ‘historians’ of other shuttle has done the same for the Hubble Space Telescope. There are many persuasions and lands may smile and thank some of those American politicians, types of space cargo haulers today, but at present the main stay is still the space social thinkers, citizens and scientists who did their “best “ in the assisting of and shuttle fleet. They can carry payloads that other carriers cannot. Shuttles can the eventual dismantling and elimination of America’s manned space rendezvous with satellites and the shuttle crew can repair them in orbit. If operations. necessary, satellites can be retrieved and brought back to Earth. Experiments In Aviation Week & Technology Apr 11th 2011 on page 16, mentions the 100- done onboard the space stations and the space shuttles will give us a clearer inch infrared reflecting telescope which is known as Sofia---‘Stratospheric understanding of what it takes to live and work beyond the confines of our Observatory for Infrared Astronomy’, completed a mission using the high- planet. At the ceremony at Promontory Point, a Dr. Harkness from Sacramento resolution far-IR spectrometer by the principle investigator, Rolf Guesten. His presented Governor Stanford with the ‘Golden Spike’. The following is an targets were IC 342, a spiral galaxy 11 million light years from us, located in the excerpt from the speech given by Dr. Harkness at the event: “Never, since constellation of Camelopardalis, and the Omega nebula (M17), 5,000 light years history commenced her record of human events, has man been called upon to in Sagittarius. Wow, wouldn’t amateur astronomers love to get their hands on meet the completion of a work so magnificent in contemplation and so this “telescope” and bring it to a star party for all to enjoy! Star gazing just marvelous in execution…” What happened to the Apollo program borders on wouldn’t be the ‘same’ with a rockin’ ‘scope like that! 22 * * * daylight time, with the moon about 6 degrees above the east-southeastern However, with our “backyard telescopes” we amateur astronomers are happy horizon, with Neptune at approximately 10 degrees above the horizon. Using with them, and use them extensively to peer out into the cosmic vista and binoculars, look at Theta Aquarii, a 4th magnitude star which is 1.5 degrees observe such celestial bodies as SATURN, at a +0.4 visual (“…brightest it has below the moon and at the “4 o’clock position” of Theta, locate the star, 38 been in the last three years…”according to Fred Schaaf’s column in the Sky & Aquarii, a 5th magnitude star. Your target lies 14 arc minutes (14’) due south of Telescope, Apr 2011 issue), in the Virgo constellation near (~3.5 degrees but this that star. Be quick and get your scope aimed at the planet ‘cause the sun isn’t separation will decrease to ~1.5 degrees) the 2.7 magnitude star Gamma waiting for anyone! By May, Neptune shows up by 3 am and still at a visual 7.9, Virginis---second brightest star in Virgo and also known as; Porrima-a telescopic hanging near 38 Aquarii for the month! According to my sources it is close to the double star and the 4th magnitude star Theta Virginis. Around midnight, it is location it was in when it was discovered 164 years ago, by the German near due South, about half way to the Zenith (‘your overhead’). The sky moves astronomer Johann Galle, and ironically 164 years ago is close to the time it East to West because the Earth rotates from West to East, thus making the takes for it to make one orbit about the sun! objects in the sky appear to rise in the ‘East and set in the West’ but with Saturn The one object you will not have any problems locating in the morning sky it is also moving truly ‘westward’ with respect to the stars, not just because of th before sunrise is VENUS, blazing at a visual magnitude of a -3.9! As mentioned the Earth’s rotation. Because of Saturn’s movement, by Apr 30 of, Saturn will in my past columns this planet is the “Queen of UFO reports”! I have seen this be within two (2) degrees of the star Gamma Vir. The star Spica is at an wonderful planet in the daytime, visually---all day! It is a most stunning object apparent visual of +1 and lies just below the planet Saturn, about 11 degrees of and just awesome to observe it with a telescope. If you have the “day off” why separation but increasing though Apr, to 13 degrees of separation between that not track the planet with your telescope for the entire day and see if you can star and Saturn. visually observe it with your naked eye? If people come by ask them if they can Three weeks ago, Saturn was at OPPOSITION (as the sun sets, the other celestial see a bright dot in the sky by pointing at it with your finger but do not let them object would rise) was at its closest to us as it will get, this year---800 million look through the telescope first. Ask them if they have an idea what the object miles! This is definitely the time of year to aim your ‘scopes at Saturn with a disk might be? Than have them take a look through your scope and tell them a few measuring about 19 arc seconds (19”) across its equator and about 17 arc things about that beautiful planet, a planet of beauty as it has been described; seconds (17”) from pole to pole. Of course the most noticeable feature is the then tell them what a hell-hole planet is really like! Women do not want to be ring structure measuring approximately 44 arc seconds (44”) across. Upon from Venus! Since the 1st of April, it has taken up an angle of 13.3 arc seconds viewing optically, the two major bright bands are separated by a dark band (13.3”) in the sky, which when peering through telescope you can see this, is the called the CASSINI DIVISON and is always a joy to observe. Given the rings, this ‘diameter’ of the planet. About 80% of the planet is lit and toward the 30th of planet has, while observing through a telescope, gives a “3D” quality about it, April this increases to 87% of the planet! However, there is a ‘tradeoff’, as its and if the general public is looking through your telescope at Saturn, do not be ‘disk’ or angle it takes up in the sky will have decreased to around 11.7 arc surprised by the statement of many of them; “you sure you don’t have a picture seconds (11.7”). Assuming you have a ‘clear sky’ before sunrise of Apr 22nd / of the planet attached to your telescope”? This is a common comment from 23rd, at Venus, using a ‘low power eyepiece’ (for those using a Schmitt – anyone who has not had the chance of ever seeing Saturn though any telescope. Cassegrain telescopes, attach a reducer-corrector which will give your telescope Make sure you study the planet itself as you should notice a ‘flattening’ of its a ‘wider-field-of-view’ as well as lowing the ‘magnification’ of your eyepiece) poles, this is caused by the rapid rotation of the planet; in 10.7 hours it and you should be able to detect the planet URANUS, 0.9 degrees ‘north’ of completes one rotation on its axis. One last point; it is interesting that this year Venus! Remember, there will be the twilight glow of sunrise so have your we have Saturn in our night sky, and during the transcontinental railroad equipment up and running at “oh-dark-thirty”, along with your bleary-eyed completion it was visible in the pre-dawn sky of 1869. Many changes have family, telling them you want to share with them and you don’t want them to occurred for us since then, but compared to the cosmos it seems to remain the miss such a neat viewing session and such a lovely pairing of Venus the second same, though on a much larger time-scale we know it does not. Using even a planet from the sun, along with 7th most distant planet from our sun, Uranus in small diameter telescope will allow you to observe the 8th magnitude moon, the same field of view! Titan which orbits Saturn every 16 days, and at is farthest from the limb of Make sure you have hot beverages for one-an-all along with some tasty edibles Saturn---3.3 arc minutes (3.3’) and its closest to the limb of the planet, ½’ of such as a variety of donuts and bagels along with different types of cream minute of arc or 30 seconds of arc (0.5’ or 30”- NOTE: The earth’s moon when cheeses as well as fruit preserves (remember, believe this or not; some “FULL” is equal to ½ of a degree or 30 minutes of angular diameter). In May, th members of your family and friends may not like the idea of being woken from a Saturn decreases a bit in visual magnitude to a +0.6 by the 15 with Spica about sound sleep, being dragged into the cold dark, pre-dawn morning air and 15 degrees to the southeast of the planet. Saturn is now 1.6 degrees southeast st though half-opened eyes watering, stare into an eyepiece and a telescope, they of the star “Porrima” and on the 31 May, they will be within 20 arc minutes half understand and gaze at two circular dot objects, wondering what all the (20’) of each other! During May, Titan is due south of Saturn on the 3rd and the th th th excitement is about and maybe thinking you might need some ‘professional 19 , and north on the 11 and the 27 . Also do not forget to observe and enjoy counseling’---the drinks and food might help mitigate their possible thoughts the moons Tethys, Dione and Rhea; all are considered to be around 10th th that you might be suffering from some sort of abnormal and peculiar obsession magnitude (you don’t want to play ‘favorites now’ do you). Then there is 12 with your “hobby”). Check out the differences of two planets but also the magnitude moon of Saturn, Enceladus (need a 10-inch ‘scope for this one) and th similarity between them; they are both ‘round’ and have a physical structure, Iapetus at an apparent brightest of 11 (was the ‘moon’ mentioned by Arthur C Uranus will have an aqua-blue color with a diameter of 3.4 arc seconds (3.4) and Clarke when he wrote ‘2001 - A SPACE ODESSEY’ and Saturn was where the a visual of 5.9. Venus is about 70 million miles, on average, from the sun, which manned spacecraft, DISCOVERY with HAL aboard was heading for, but the film Uranus is, on average, 1, 788, 207,000 billion miles from the sun! As you study technique [special effects] at the time were unable to do Saturn so it was them, what other features might you notice that might be different between changed to “Jupiter”). them and are there are other “similarities” with them? Have a series of colored After Saturn sets after midnight, there are of course all those ‘deep sky objects’ pencils and white paper and have you and those with you observing, draw and you can try for. One of the abilities an amateur astronomer learns is how to “color” these celestial bodies of our star system. By May, Venus rises in the 1st become a contortionist while you move your telescope and your body into with a very thin waning moon, before sunrise, still glaring a -3.9 visual. While positions you thought were against the laws of nature and physics. Then after observing Uranus and Venus, compare them to the stars; for when the scope is looking at many obscure, edge of your visual acuity, cosmological smudges, you trained on a star, all you see is still a point-of-light (our sun excluded for obvious blink and wonder: “How am I going to untangle myself from my telescope”? reasons)-no physical substance - because of the tremendous distances to those Assuming the sky is clear and there are no approaching storm fronts heading in other ‘lighthouses in those other stellar harbors’ – solar systems, many ‘Light your direction, you are finally able to unravel yourself and then decide to wait to Years’ from our ‘Lighthouse’ (the Sun) and our ‘stellar harbor’ (our solar system); see if maybe you might be able to aim your ‘scope at NEPTUNE, since you have yet as in human history when our ancestors were drawn to explore and settle stayed up all night and have done things with your telescope you never thought those distant lighthouses and the harbors they saw, so are we and our future was humanly possible. Since it is now the latter part of Apr, and it is the 27th of generations are, and will be drawn to the “Interstellar Lighthouses and Harbors the month, it has been suggested using the waning crescent moon to locate this of the cosmos” to explore and settle as well. blue-grey colored dot which is at a visual 7.9 with an angular diameter of 2.2 arc seconds (2.2), might be your best shot. On the above date, about 4:30 am local 23 By Apr 30th, a slender moon will be ascending in the predawn sky around 4:30 am, local daylight time, about 35 minutes before Venus rises. Around 30 minutes before sunrise, 5:30 a.m., Venus is ~7 degrees below the moon and looking 4 degrees to its left will be MERCURY, glittering at a visual 0.9, having a 9 seconds of arc (9”) disk, assuming you can get your scope on it before it fades because of the growing morning light. Again, according to my sources the planet will appear about 1/3 lit, and will have a diameter of 7.1 arc seconds (7.1”) on the 15th of May. On the 1st of May, Mercury will be 3 degrees to lower left (east) of Venus and will have dropped to a visual 0.8; can you tell the difference from April 30th, visual to that of the 1st of May? JUPITER, is 1 degree above the “eastern horizon” and because of its bright visual of a -2.1, it should be visible to the unaided eye! To find it, you first need a clear sky, as in no rain clouds and a flat horizon, and using binoculars look 10 degrees below to the left of planet Venus and you should spot Jupiter, even with all the pre-dawn glare of the coming sunrise, just do not look at the sun---a real bad mistake; if you do something that stupid, you will never see anything ever again! Also on the 30th of April, Jupiter has a ‘cosmic buddy’ – MARS! Its location is west – northwest of Jupiter about ½ of a degree from Jupiter at a miserable visual of 1.2 and as the sky brightens at this time, I doubt if you will be able to detect Mars with your binoculars---but you might surprise me! In the tropics and the Southern hemisphere though, those observers living there, around 30 degrees South latitude will see Venus 20 degrees above the eastern horizon, with Mercury at 18 degrees and both Jupiter and Mars at 10 degrees above the predawn eastern horizon – lucky! As we move into May, from the 1st to around the 22nd, besides brilliant Venus, the planets Mars, Mercury and Jupiter start to really give us a nice ‘cosmic show’ in the pre-dawn sky! Mercury will remain close to horizon, going from a visual +0.8 to a brighter -0.9, with its diameter going from 9.2 arc seconds (compare that to Venus) but decreasing to around 5.5 arc seconds by the 31st (mentioned some of this already but always good to ‘reinforce’ certain facts, ideas and concepts). Its ‘phase’ will increase from 31% to 83% illuminated as well! It will take some work but worth every moment if you have your scope, operating and you and your buddies are observing the “going on” of this fast orbiting planet. Jupiter since it is a -2.1 and ‘bright’ will still be difficult, because of its low position with respect to the eastern horizon, even though it is brighter but as the month of May progresses it will become easier to locate and watch it (heck, if ya can find Mercury, Jupiter should be a “breeze”). Mars is right there along with the others but still faint at a +1.3 visual and 4.1 arc seconds across, but every morning it will be a bit higher but still low to the horizon so as to observe it, you will need binoculars and or your telescope. Remember since you are observing near the horizon you are ‘doubling the amount of atmosphere’ you are looking through so the planets are going to look kind of ‘wavy’ because of the bending of light though so much atmosphere. For a more detailed discussion I suggest the May 2011 issue of Sky&Telescope “Planet Section” and also the Apr 2011 issue discussion, as well concerning the double star known as Porrima. Way back in 1919 the two stars were at their farthest from each other, 6.0 arc seconds (6.0”) but during the years they started to get closer again to each other to where they were so close, most amateur telescopes could not separate the two. Now, it has been predicted that a telescope with only a 3- inch diameter you should be able to see a separation between of around 1.7 arc . Needs 8 AA seconds (1.7”) and will continue to increase in separation until the year, 2088! FOR SALE: Meade DS-2130AT Telescope batteries (not included). You get: the telescope, with finder scope, Well way to much stuff, this time; So have a safe springtime, and enjoy the rack & pinion focuser, 3 eyepieces, & a Barlow lens; Tripod; Owner's days and evenings of spring 2011 so long as the rain can go away and you can all enjoy your telescopes. Next month might mention a few things you can do to manual & CD; and the computer driven mount with handheld pendant clean the outside of your telescope and care for your accessories. control. Once set up, you can punch some buttons on the control Ad Astra, “To the Stars”, but always look down once in a while to make sure you pendant & the telescope points at what you want to see, by itself! don’t trip over something. Gently used, original boxes. The photo show the telescope set up. - John W Goerger $150 OBO - I'm in Stanwood/Camano Area - Bruce [email protected] FROM THE EDITOR'S TERMINAL The Stargazer is your newsletter and therefore it is best when it is a cooperative project. Any content you have, such as ads, ASTRO- PHOTOs, observing reports, announcements, suggestions, or literary works, etc., should be e-mailed to the editor for inclusion into the Stargazer. If you wish to contribute an article or suggestions to The Stargazer please contact Mark Folkerts by e-mail (folkerts at seanet dot com) or by telephone (425) 486-9733. 24 The Star Gazer P.O. Box 12746 Everett, WA 98206

In April’s StarGazer: **** ASTRO CALENDAR - UPCOMING ASTRONOMY EVENTS **** WESTERN STAR PARTY SCHEDULE FOR 2011 **** OBSERVER'S INFORMATION - SUN, MOON, AND PLANET VISIBILITY **** ‘UP IN THE SKY’ - THE PLANETS (AND OBJECT 134340 PLUTO…) **** UW COLLOQUIA SCHEDULE **** EAS MEMBER NEWS **** HUNTING FOR THE MILKY WAY'S HEAVIEST STARS **** SCOPES JOIN FORCES FOR HUGE GAMMA-RAY EXPLOSION **** EXPLODING ‘STARS AND STRIPES’ – X-RAY SN REMNANT STRIPES **** FAST-ROTATING ASTEROID WINKS FOR AMATEUR CAMERA **** WISE DELIVERS MILLIONS OF GALAXIES, STARS, ASTEROIDS **** DO COSMIC STRINGS OF GAS COME FROM ‘SONIC BOOMS’? **** SCOPES DISCOVER ONE OF YOUNGEST GALAXIES IN UNIVERSE **** WISE SPOTS 'HORSESHOE ORBIT' ASTEROID ‘2010 SO16’ **** NEW THEORY: TITAN SHAPED BY WIND, NOT ICE VOLCANOES **** GALEX SCOPE FERRETS OUT PLANET-HUNTING TARGETS **** RUNAWAY ZETA OPHIUCHI PLOWS THROUGH SPACE DUST **** SPITZER FINDS TIME-DELAYED JETS AROUND YOUNG STAR **** FORENSIC SLEUTHING TIES RING RIPPLES TO IMPACTS **** LONG WATCHED SOLAR POT, & WATCHING FOR FAST CMES **** CAUSE OF SHORT GAMMA-RAY BURSTS FINALLY CONFIRMED **** KEPLER HELPS REVEAL INNER SECRETS OF GIANT STARS **** ‘THE PLANETARIUM’ - COLUMN BY JOHN GOERGER

The next EAS Meeting is 3:00 pm, Saturday April 16th at the Evergreen Branch Everett Public Library, in south Everett.